


Never a Dull Moment

by Harmonyhhr



Series: 'Keeping' it Ghostly [1]
Category: Ghost (Swedish Band)
Genre: F/M, I want to add more tags, It got smutty, Urban Fantasy, but spoilers, plot heavy, surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-07-18 14:35:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 40,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7319074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harmonyhhr/pseuds/Harmonyhhr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a vampire attack left Ellie Portland with powerful mind control abilities she was recruited by a secretive supernatural police force known as the Keepers. Though her role is mostly relegated to research, Ellie's boss needs her to have a serious talk with the members of the band Ghost because bodies are dropping around them at an alarming rate. When she meets Daddy E and the Gang, however, they aren't exactly what she expected and her investigation reveals the situation is far more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> I've been a long time fanfic reader but this is my first time writing (besides a little smutty one-shot over on the Imagine Papa and the Ghouls blog) and I hope it's not too terrible.* This story combines my two favorite obsessions: Ghost and the urban fantasy genre. 
> 
> *Even if it is terrible I'm already 9 chapters in with no signs of stopping any time soon.

I entered Headquarters just as the sun was beginning to set. The bar that served as the front for our organization was quiet for the hour and I gave my usual nods of hello to the bartenders and waitstaff as I passed by, heading to the back of the bar and beyond the STAFF ONLY sign. The hallway to the right led to offices for bar employees but I swerved left down a shorter hallway that ended at a very solid looking brick wall. I stooped to press the brick at the far right bottom and waited for the keypad to pop out of the center. One of my tech savvy co-workers had designed it in the midst of a Harry Potter obsession and I’m still surprised he didn’t suggest we tap the bricks with a wand; he must not have gotten my anonymous email suggesting it.

Punching in my personalized code permitted entrance through the hidden door that swung open from the wall to my right. Several flights of stone stairs passed beneath my feet, spiraling down far beneath the earth’s surface to spit me out in the cavernous workspace of the Keepers. Formed in the early 1800s, the Keepers was meant to be one of those “grab your pitchfork and kill the beast” kind of monster hunter groups but after doing more running from humans than monsters they realized the general public wasn’t too keen on their mission. They were forced to go underground and start protecting the population in secret (while simultaneously deciding upon one of the most boring titles in the history of the universe to bestow on their members).

It never ceases to amaze me how people can read fictional books about preternatural beings but not recognize those stories had to be based on some kind of truth. Granted, the public seemed to think books like Twilight were interesting so perhaps I was giving them too much credit. In my world the vampires don’t sparkle, the werewolves disembowel you before you can even think about petting them, and ghosts more often than not throw you around your house before trying to stab you with a kitchen knife. If you ever manage to run in to a good-looking demon then you should haul ass in the opposite direction because the hotter they are the more vicious they tend to be. They’re kind of like high school cheerleaders without the pom-poms and pregnancy scares.

Of course not all these creatures are inherently evil, which is why the Keepers evolved over the years. We’re similar to supernatural police now and we even get work kicked our way when the regular police come across a case they can’t handle. I would have never become a Keeper if not for the vampire who tried tampering with my brain one night as I was leaving work. His creepy attempt at a Vulcan mind meld unlocked my own latent mind manipulation ability and when some of my future co-workers showed up to save me I had accidentally crippled the vampire’s psyche so badly he was left an empty shell lying on the ground.

Whoops-a-daisy.

I was a librarian before coming to work here so I’m typically assigned to the archives or in front of a computer for research. Our mysterious upper management somehow tracks individuals who display potentially deadly inclinations and when they begin to act upon those inclinations I’m called in to help. One push of my will is usually enough to knock those silly little ideas right out of their heads. My field work is severely limited though, because as much as I want to be a bad-ass like characters in books or on TV I’m just not coordinated enough to fight most of the things we hunt.

I walked over to my desk area and flopped down in my chair with a huff. Immediately I was set upon by my lovable but overbearing boss, James. Over seven feet tall and so muscular he looked like a cloud, James made The Mountain from _Game of Thrones_ look like a prepubescent school boy. As far as I can tell no one knows if James has any special abilities or if he’s even completely human, but he’s always treated me well and never seems to be phased by my lack of respect for authority figures. He could match my asshole attitude insult for insult and I felt like I was his long lost child most of the time.

Now, however, his usually lax demeanor was keyed up about something as he was hovering over me so much he blocked out the glaring overhead lights he had installed to keep people from sleeping at their desks.

“I have a field assignment for you.” He practically barked in my face.

“Jesus J, I think you just spit on me. Could you back up a bit? And then calmly tell me what’s so important you want to send me in the field?” I glared up at him until he did as I asked and parked his giant butt on the edge of my desk. I heard the poor thing groan and creak but it held his bulk like a champ. I made a mental note to figure out what material it was made from so I could whip up some future Christmas or birthday gifts for other the Keepers; they’re notoriously destructive beings and it’s hell finding them something they won’t melt/blow up.

James dialed down on the intensity level but his face was serious when he spoke.  
“I take it you haven’t been keeping up with the news today?”  
I shook my head no.  
He let out an exasperated sigh and continued, “There have been several animal attacks on humans over the past few months throughout the country. They’re even seeing some over in Europe and a few in Canada, but the majority has taken place here.”  
I stopped James with a raised hand before he could speak again.  
“Animals aren’t my department. You know I’m an animal pacifist. If some cow or deer has gone rogue I for one welcome them as our Master Overlord.”

My other superpower was pushing people to edge of their control and my snarky comment had James looking like he wanted to strangle me. “Stop flapping your gums, Ellie, and let me finish. We’ve tracked a pattern between these attacks and some metal band called Ghost. Five of them wear masks while their frontman is dressed up like the Anti-Pope. El, the attacks look more like demonic sacrifices and this group is awfully fond of singing the praises of Satan.”

Ah. Now I could see where he was going with this. Basically, a bunch of egomaniacal idiots had decided to up their entertainment factor by calling on a few of the dangerous baddies they liked to warble about.

“So you want me to have a talk with them, is that it?” I eyed my boss, wondering what he wasn’t saying yet. “This sounds pretty cut and dry J – what’s got you all worked up? A few deaths aren’t much to write home about.”

“It’s more than a few. Try over 150, and those are just the ones they’ve found so far.”


	2. We're off to see the wizard

My mouth gaped open. 150 bodies?

“What the _FUCK_?! How did the Keystone Cops manage to miss so many people who died the same way?! How did _we_ miss that? What kind of business are we running here!?” I inhaled sharply and meant to continue my tirade but the look on James’ face stopped me.

“The bodies were well buried in extremely secluded places. No one would have ever found them but this morning a news station in New York received a list of all the burial sites and a note from “The Clergy” claiming responsibility. The only Clergy we can make a connection to is the one Ghost makes a claim on as part of their anti-Christ/Lucifer shtick. We don’t have specifics on time of death for each body yet but there’s been at least one found in or around the cities the band has played in the past few years.” 

He paused for a moment to let me absorb the details and then proceeded, “We don’t know for certain if the band members themselves are involved or if it’s some overzealous fan. It’s also possible their music is accidentally summoning something and they have no idea what’s going on. That’s the best case scenario at this point. They’re playing here tonight in Phoenix and I need you to go work your mental voodoo on them so we have time to investigate the older bodies without having to worry about new ones cropping up. It's the fastest way to decide where we need to focus this investigation.” 

He checked his watch. “You better get a move on. The show starts at 8pm and I want you to talk to them beforehand. Try to rattle their cages a bit. Make sure you’re armed just in case.”

Right. Because Satanists who raise demons rattle easily. Mentally I rolled my eyes but I assured James I would handle it.

* * *

 It would take me the better part of an hour to reach the venue so when I got in my car I queued up Ghost on my phone’s music player. It was best to know exactly what kind of devilish deeds (heh) these guys were telling their listeners to commit. I like certain kinds of hard rock and metal but I tend to stay away from the serious **DEATH! MURDER! HATRED!**  stuff. Oh gods, what if Ghost was the kind of band that sacrificed live animals on stage or something? I reflexively cringed as I waited for the music (and the angry murder growls) to start up. 

_Believe in one god do we_  
_Satan almighty_  
_The uncreator of heaven and soil_  
_And the unvisable and the visable_

_And in his son_  
_Begotten of father_  
_By whom all things will be unmade_

I relaxed a little bit. It was actually quite mellow.

_Who for man and his damnation_  
_Incarnated_  
_Rise up from Hell_  
_From sitteth on the left hand of his father_  
_From thense he shall come to judge_  
_Out of one substance_  
_With Satan_  
_Whose kingdom shall haveth no end_

Well, this was tame for a song called “Satan Prayer”. I was expecting something much more...violent. I scrolled through some of the other songs, weaving in and out of snowbird traffic and the usual reckless Phoenix drivers, skipping around to see if anything stood out as overtly demon summon-y. I stopped on “Year Zero” and listened:

_Belial, Behemoth, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Satanas, Lucifer  
Belial, Behemoth, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Satanas, Lucifer_

Hey, now we were getting somewhere.

_Hell Satan, Archangelo  
Hell Satan, Welcome year zero_

Aaaand again, nothing remotely close to what would be needed to sing dark evil in to existence. I actually kind of hoped the band wasn’t involved in the murders because their sound was quite good. I grooved along to music for the rest of the drive and reached The Clubhouse a little earlier than I expected. Figuring it would be a good idea to know who to look for when I went inside I performed a quick internet search, revealing five figures sporting matching black suits and silver horned masks that left only their eyes visible. Symbols were etched in to the upper right chest area of their jackets and I discovered that’s how one could decipher which Nameless Ghoul (how quaint) was which: Air, Water, Earth, Aether, and Fire (the last two also known as Omega and Alpha respectively). Their leader and vocalist, one Papa Emeritus, was apparently on his third incarnation and liked to switch back and forth between twisted Pope and dapper Phantom of the Opera-esque outfits. He too was masked but his mirrored corpse paint.

I tried finding information on the band member’s real identities but much of what appeared in my search was only guesswork from the fans. I knew James would cover every angle but he hadn’t had time to give me any particulars. I also found pictures of Papa Emeritus I and II and felt glad I would be speaking with III. Papa I looked like he stood too close to the sun and was forever pissed off about it, while Papa II seemed like the type to let you drown in some elaborate underwater torture chamber if you dared speak to him. I didn’t intimidate easily but there was just something inherently _wrong_ with the gleam in their eyes. I highly doubted those Papa’s were even remotely human. I bet **they** were chicken sacrificers.

Noting the time, I climbed out of my car and bypassed the building’s main entrance. Just because I had Jedi mind powers didn’t mean I wanted the long line of fans waiting to enter to see me in action. I was hoping to find the band’s tour bus around back and make my visit short and sweet but all I found was a grumpy looking guy smoking a cigarette, the word SECURITY printed across his black t-shirt.

I schooled my features in to a picture of pure innocence and approached the guard.

“Excuse me…” I started, but he cut me off with a slash of his hand.

“No groupies. If you have meet and greet passes you still have to go in the front door. Scoot.”

Still keeping my features as non-threatening as possible, I pushed my will in to my voice and said, “I’m not a groupie and I don’t have passes. I need to speak to the band and you will let me in. Please.”

Being polite never hurt anything. The guard’s eyes narrowed at my tone but I could see the moment my words took effect, his eyes dulling a bit as he reached over and opened the back entrance door for me. I waltzed past him with a “Thank you” and purposefully strode down the dimly lit hallway.


	3. Blindsided

Not wanting to have to waste time explaining myself to every crew member I came across I moved quickly throughout the small backstage area. Luckily for me I was the epitome of an inconspicuous looking bookworm, complete with a face so average it was probably a default setting in The Sims. Short mousey brown hair framed my face and hipster sized glasses covered my eyes when my contacts bothered me.  I never wore make-up due to sheer laziness and my wardrobe was inspired by the Nightingales from The Elder Scrolls: black, black, and more black. Tonight I had paired black jeans with my favorite pair of black soft-soled boots and a black tank top. Throwing on a sweater would have made it work appropriate but ain’t nobody got time for that in 95 degree September heat. The only feature that made me stand out was my height. At 5’10 I was above average for a woman and even though I tried to keep in shape for my job, I would always be just a little too curvy to ever look conventional.

Even as a taller woman I had somehow perfected being invisible, so when I finally found the room where the Ghouls were getting ready for the show I wasn’t at all shocked they didn’t notice me. This was perfectly fine because I had arrived right as they were changing in to their performance clothes and they were all in various stages of undress, masks already securely in place. It seemed the Nameless Ghouls went commando underneath those fancy black suits.

I grinned as I imagined the horrific chafing they must suffer from when a voice spoke directly in my left ear, “Enjoying the show, my dear?”

I had to fight my natural urge to jump three feet in the air and instead turned to see Papa Emeritus standing next to me. My eyes widened a bit as I realized just how… _tiny_ he was. He was only a few inches shorter than me but he seemed delicate somehow, ethereal in a way that I might poke him and he would disappear in a shower of sparks. I stared in to his mismatched eyes and found I had gone speechless.

Mentally I slapped myself and remembered I was supposed to be acting tough here. I quirked my lips in to my best bitch-smirk and replied, “I’ve seen better. Are the two little ones over there even allowed to be in a band or did you have to get their parents to sign a permission slip?”

Papa’s eyebrows raised at my tone and I could tell I caught him off guard.

Average Sims face for the win.

He looked past me and raised his voice so the Ghouls would hear him as he said, “Gentlemen. It seems we have a guest in the room. Make yourselves presentable so we might entertain her.” The smallest of the men (Earth, judging from pictures I’d seen) spun around and squeaked when he saw me, then proceeded to fall over trying to pull his trousers the rest of the way up. The other Ghouls merely turned to face us, uncaring whether they were fully dressed or not.

 Papa sighed and directed his words at one of the Ghouls.

“Alpha, do button up your trousers. I’m sure the lady here does not wish to view your, ah, trunk junk.”

“The junk in my trunk, Papa. JUNK in my TRUNK. And that’s not how you say it. The front is junk.” Alpha pointed at his crotch, and then pointed to his behind. “This is the junk in my trunk.” He pointed back at his crotch before buttoning up his pants, “And this is just junk.”

The second smallest man, who now had his suit jacket on and could be identified as Water, began giggling at this exchange and worked himself into such a state of laughter he had to sit on floor.

_These_ were the possibly dangerous devil worshipers? I’d be shocked if any of them could tie their own shoes, let alone control the forces of evil.

The other two Ghouls ignored their comrades and stood silently. Papa waited until Earth untangled himself from his clothing sufficiently enough to pay attention and stalled Water’s laughter with a quelling glance.

Papa walked over next to the Ghouls and nodded his head at me. “Pray tell, pet, why you slipped past security to get back here?” He looked me over and continued, “You don’t exactly look like the type bent on seduction.” My bitch-smirk reversed in to a bitch-frown and I opened my mouth to tell him off before I remembered I needed to speak to them about more pressing matters. Instead I gave the next best, mature reaction I could muster and flipped him the bird.

“Sorry Pops. I’m here to discuss a little matter of murder.” This got a reaction from all the Ghouls even though I couldn’t see their faces. They turned to look at each other and then at Papa, who continued smiling in my direction.

“The people I work for were alerted to a slew of dead bodies in the U.S. and Europe this morning, all of which were left around towns where you’ve toured - bodies that showed signs of demonic torture. I came to see if you had any idea how those people ended up in such a state. Perhaps there is something you’d like to share with the class? Any of you?”

I knew none of them would openly admit to being involved but the good guys always asked nicely in the movies before kicking villain ass. Earth sat on the floor vigorously shaking his head no before Air reached down and smacked the back of his mask hard enough to send him tipping over again. A united front then, huh.

Papa spoke at that moment. “I’m sorry but I’m afraid we have not heard about any murdered persons. It seems you have wasted your time coming down here.”

Like I was going to be gotten rid of so easily.

For the second time that night I pushed my will in to my voice and directed it at the Ghouls. “I need answers to my questions. You will tell me what you know of these dead bodies and the attacks upon them.” The masks made it impossible to see my words take effect but the Ghouls only continued to stand in stoic silence.

Maybe they really didn’t know what was going on. I spoke once more, aiming my words at both Papa and the Ghouls now. “I command these rituals be stopped at once. No one else will be harmed by any of you. This matter is under investigation and you will cooperate if I need to speak to you again.”

I did not inject will in to my voice but instead sent the words out with a strong push of will _behind_ them. It made my commands almost impossible to resist and only the strongest mental walls could block them.

I turned to leave but suddenly something with the force of a freight train slammed in to the back of my head. Blinding, excruciating pain drove me to my knees and my stomach rolled violently as I felt the commands I gave to the band claw their way through my brain. My breathing was suddenly cut off as an immensely strong hand wrapped itself around my throat. My head was jerked up to see Papa Emeritus standing over me, the rest of the Ghouls surrounding him.

Papa’s eyes glowed like burning coals and the Ghouls had tipped their masks up to allow me to see their elongated fangs, razor sharp and fine as needles. The nails on their hands had also lengthened to deadly honed points and those claws were now inching towards my body. There was no way I could get to my gun while I was being strangled and mentally assaulted at the same time. I was going to die in what looked like a scene from a really bad porno. Comprehension of my predicament came much too late to save myself.

 

The Nameless Ghouls was not a cute kitschy nickname; they were real flesh and blood, tear-you-to-shreds Ghouls.

 

Oh shit.


	4. Uncertainty

Instead of being a cool, Ghoul-slaying heroine after that thought, I just passed out. I wasn’t sure how long I was down but I came screaming back to consciousness lying on a reasonably comfortable surface. I kept my eyes shut at first, evaluating any injuries I might have and found everything still fairly intact. I didn’t even have a headache. I had no idea if this was because of my own mental wall building skills or if Papa and the Ghouls had just taken it easy on me.

I’d hate to see them really mean it. Geesh.

I could hear voices speaking rapid Swedish above me and I made every attempt to stay as motionless as possible to see if I could learn anything useful. Unfortunately, I became aware of a large calloused hand resting firmly on my thigh, the other immobile on my nearly bare shoulder. Ghouls or not, I most assuredly was not about to be accosted without giving them one hell of a fight. I shot up in to a sitting position on what turned out to be a couch and barreled my way over the Ghoul that had his hands on me. Never before had I been so glad I wasn’t dainty. I must have stunned the Ghoul because he fell over on his backside with an audible grunt. My back slammed in to the wall opposite of the couch and I dug my fingers in to my ankle holster only to find it empty.

I was left gaping like a deer in headlights at the six creatures who would most likely kill me now. From what I knew of ghouls it wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience either. As I continued to mouth-breathe at them I realized they were doing nothing more than steadily meeting my gaze.

Papa moved around from behind the couch and approached me carefully.“I am truly sorry about that but I had no idea you would try to attack us. Our defenses are rather formidable.” He smiled charmingly and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “You should have identified yourself as a Keeper. It would have made this little tête-à-tête go more smoothly. Do inform James it was not very nice of him to send a mere human to interrogate me.”

My brain had started functioning again at this point and my eyes widened at the meaning of his words.

“James…knows? He knows you’re all Ghouls?”

Papa shook his head. “No. When he first spoke to the band a few years ago my Ghouls were all human. He has known from the beginning of my time with them that I am not, but their transformation happened only recently. You have quite the strong mind. I would bet dogs to donuts he sent you here to test your abilities on me. His desire to know exactly what I am is amusing on occasion.”

“Uh, Papa? You mean dollars to donuts. You’d bet dollars to donuts.” The ever helpful Alpha piped up from somewhere behind Air. 

Papa rolled his eyes in exasperation and gave me a pleading look. They were back to the bumbling idiot routine.

“Please dearest, do stay and watch the show." He went on. "We’re about to take the stage. You can be in the front row if you like - take it as an apology for what happened. We really do not know about your dead bodies or dark rituals. Ghost is truly popular enough to skip over that sort of nonsense.” He puffed out his chest as if proud they didn’t have to resort to human sacrifice to bring in the crowds.

Snaps for Papa then.

At this point I wasn’t sure what to believe. His assertion that James knew about his inhuman status was making me question my faith in my boss. Perhaps staying for the show would be best, would give me time to assess the situation instead of tearing into J’s office and giving him hell. I could also observe the band in action and see for myself if anything they were doing on stage could be causing harm to others. If they thought I bought their innocent act then they might let their guard down. I slowly nodded and Papa clapped his hands together in what appeared to be genuine delight.

“Good, good. Go out the way you came and turn left. Tell security I said you are to be escorted to a space in the front row even if they have to move others.”I nodded again and began walking out of the room.

I stopped just as I reached the over-sized doorway and paused. “Speaking of nonsense…you guys don’t, like, sacrifice chickens on stage do you?”

* * *

The show didn’t do much to calm my strung out nerves but I had to admit those were some seriously talented Ghouls. You’d think creatures whose hobbies included skipping rope with intestines would be a little less musically inclined. I ended up in front of the barricade on Omega and Earth’s side and spent most of the time watching their stage antics. I would have found their mannerisms and routine endearing if I didn’t know what was hiding underneath those masks.

I shuddered at the thought and walked more quickly to my car. People were streaming out of the venue to mill about, laughing and talking. I should have felt relatively safe in the crowd but the large open parking lot only made me feel more exposed and isolated. I was the one who was supposed to be doing the cage rattling dammit. I hated to let those…those things scare me out of doing my job. Papa's courteous demeanor only made me feel worse because I couldn’t tell if it was all for show or actually genuine. The one thing I hate most in this world is not knowing when someone is lying. I also hated to concede that not being in the power manipulator position was a serious blow to my ego.   

As I decided heading home would be my best course of action (so I could drink myself in to a state where I could sleep) hurried footsteps sounded behind me and I tensed. I tried to convince my brain it was only a concert-goer enthusiastically returning to his vehicle and it almost worked until something clamped down on my shoulder. All of my false bravado flew right out the window and I screeched as though someone set my hair on fire. I whirled about to find one of the Ghouls standing there, appearing to cringe at my banshee shrieking.

“Excuse me, miss. I didn’t mean to frighten you. Papa forgot to give you back your gun.” He extended it out to me and I took it from his grasp, bending to place it back in my ankle holster. I recognized the voice behind the mask: Omega. He’d been the one I bowled over in my haste to get off the couch.

He’d also been the one to laugh the loudest at my chicken murder question.

Prick.

“Gee golly whiz, thanks ever so much mister. You guys are regular boy scouts. Will you get your “I controlled my murderous tenancies” badges now or do you have to do it a few more times to get it _juuuuust_ right, like tying knots and building campfires?”

I’m pretty sure Omega was scowling at me behind his mask because his voice held a hint of irritation when he responded. “We only get badges for real accomplishments, like how far we can skip human finger bones across a lake.” He continued before I could sass him again. “You never did tell us your name by the way.”

It was my turn to scowl and I replied, “Because you don’t need to know it. The only thing you need to remember is that you’re on the Keeper’s radar and I suggest you try very hard to not drop anymore bodies. I’d hate to see you exterminated.”

Omega swung a hand up to chest in mock surprise. “Dare I believe you would be sad if I died?”

I leaned in closer to him and dropped my voice down to a whisper as I answered, “No, I’d just hate to have to fill out the paperwork.”

That being said I presented him with my back and unlocked the car door. As I was about to get in I heard him chuckle. “All right, Ellie the Keeper. Have it your way.” And then he used his big meaty Ghoul paw to slap me on the ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the way I write Papa Emeritus sometimes - I can't help but see him mess up every popular expression he hears. I mean, this is the same man who talks about jizz and whoppers, right?


	5. 101 ways to tell if the Fates hate you

I fumed the entire drive home and was still fuming as I entered my apartment. That handsy asshole wouldn’t be so keen on touching me the next time we met when I shoved a flamethrower up his nose and lit the bastard up. I dug my phone from my pocket and dialed James’s cell number. It rang a few times before going to voicemail and I hung up in disgust. He was avoiding me, which meant Papa Emeritus was right about James knowing exactly who Ghost was. I immediately dialed the office number and again it rang before the answering machine picked up.

“Dear J, this is Ellie. I hope this message finds you well. Thanks a lot for letting me in on Papa Emeritus’ inhuman secret. Not. Love, Ellie. P.S. His masked marauders are all ghouls now and almost sent me back to work in a body bag.”

I heard the receiver click on the other end with my final words. I knew that would do the trick if he really didn’t know about the changes with the Ghouls.

“Are you okay? What happened?” He did sound genuinely concerned but I was too furious with him to get the warm and fuzzies.

“You’re a dick, that’s what happened. I tried to influence them all and they showed me their Ghoulish wares. And I don’t mean that in the kinky fun way! _What the hell were you thinking?_ I’m not a properly trained field agent! Emeritus said you don’t even know what he is exactly. You knew something was up with him and you didn’t think it was necessary to help me protect myself?!”

“Ellie, calm down! I’m sorry!" He tried to cut off my hysterical outburst. "I really am. I only sent you there because I knew Emeritus wouldn’t actually hurt you. You’re the strongest mind manipulator I’ve seen and I needed to know if your power would affect him. I swear I didn’t know about the Ghouls or I would have sent someone with you. I-“

Something about the way he chose his words didn’t sit right in my head. “James.” I cut him off. “James, were there really any bodies found this morning? Or ever?”

James cleared his throat and I could feel his uncomfortable fidgeting as though he was right there in front of me.

“Well…you see, Ellie…we did find a lot of evidence of satanic rituals. We’ve been following that evidence for over a year now and those ritual sites are in the same cities where Ghost has toured but…as far as bodies go…um...”

“ _You filthy piece of shit!_ ” I shouted in to phone. “I ought to come down there right now and castrate you. I hope you know how lucky you are that I can’t manipulate you or you'd be spending the rest of your life as vegetable!”

“Ellie, listen!" He sounded almost desperate now. Too bad for him I was beyond the point of caring. "I needed you to give it your maximum effort! Papa Emeritus isn’t a weakling and I had to make sure you tried everything to breach his defenses. I really think you’re overreacting to all of this. Everything worked out in the end didn’t it?”

I was so angry I couldn’t even respond. I banged on the “End Call” button a few times (it really lacks the satisfaction of slamming the receiver down in the cradle) and turned my phone off.  I wanted to push the whole sense of betrayal out of my head but I knew I was too wound up to sleep any time soon. I’m used to working at night and it was barely after 1am. I figured being productive would make me feel grounded so I hopped on my computer and pulled up my work research. I hadn’t collected much about ghouls and now seemed like an excellent time to start.

Hours passed as I dug through folklore databases and obscure texts, jumping on any mention of ghoul, ghūl, or other Arabic creatures. My eyes were tired from staring at the screen and I stood up to stretch. I walked over to the window and closed my eyes, leaning against the glass pane in an effort to clear my thoughts. It was a futile effort. Maybe J was right and I was overreacting to the events that transpired earlier. Examining my feelings would most likely lead me to discover I was angrier at the fact that I couldn’t really protect myself if I wanted to. I just wasn’t as strong as I felt inside. I hadn’t even felt this helpless when I was a regular old human, probably because I had no clue about the real dangers of the world. Stupid. I felt plain stupid. 

I stepped away from the window and opened my eyes only to find I was back in the parking lot of The Clubhouse. Lucid dreaming was something I had yet to experience so I could only assume this is what it was like. After all, I couldn’t actually teleport or anything and premonitions were not in my wheelhouse. I was located on the side of the parking lot where both the front and rear entrances to the building were in my direct line of sight. Most of the cars that were parked here earlier were gone but there were still some people idling nearby smoking. I also noticed Ghost’s tour bus had pulled up near the back entrance, though I didn’t see any of the band loitering about. Huh.

This wasn’t exactly my first choice of location for lucid dreaming but I should probably work my way up to that Captain America/Winter Soldier/Loki fantasy.

I attempted to lift my foot so I could start exploring but I quickly learned both of my feet were seemingly super-glued to the ground. I tugged and wiggled around frantically trying to get free but it was to no avail. “What…is the fucking point…” I grunted, “of being able to…lucid dream if you can’t move!” I flapped my arms about in exasperation and began cursing whatever gods might be in existence.

I was contemplating punching myself in the face to see if it would at least wake me up when a horridly bright light flashed around The Clubhouse. I didn’t hear or feel any disturbances but suddenly the building that looked so concrete was no more. At first I thought it had been obliterated but then I realized I was seeing the top of The Clubhouse sign sticking up out of the ground, or rather sticking up out of a very large hole in the ground. The cars around me had all been flipped over and smashed and I couldn’t see any of the people who had been lounging nearby. My breath caught in my throat as I noticed the tour bus was not only flipped and smashed but torn in two as well. It was like a scene from some campy post-apocalyptic movie and it was the most horrifying thing I’d ever witnessed in real or dream life.

I blinked once again and somehow managed to awaken on the floor in my apartment. It felt like I had been hit by an eighteen wheeler and I could do little more than crawl across the floor to the couch where I had dropped my phone. My hands shook as I hit the power button and waited for the thing to boot up. I had to get ahold of HQ and make sure someone went to check on those people in the parking lot. I had no idea if what I had seen was real or not but I couldn’t let people just lay out there dying. The venue was located in the business district and I doubted anyone would pass by before 5am commuters made their way to work. My screen finally lit up but my heart sank as NO SIGNAL flashed in front of my eyes. Bullshit technology! I decided to rest until I could safely stand and then head next door to see if they had working line.

At least, that’s what I had intended on doing. As I was trying to get my feet steadily under me I felt the entire building shake fiercely, accompanied by a massive blasting noise. Maybe this WAS the apocalypse and I abruptly felt a little peeved it was coming for me first. The walls of my apartment building groaned and swayed before my gaze. Shit! The impact of the blast had knocked me back on the floor but it must have helped unfreeze my limbs because I was able to scramble back over to the window.  I expected to see something awful but nothing could have prepared me to find the ground above my head.


	6. Somebody get the stain remover

“Okay. Okay. Don’t panic. Do. Not. Panic.” I muttered over and over as I gawked dumbfoundedly at the inside of the earth. My heart was slamming against my chest and I forced air in and out of my lungs slowly so I wouldn’t hyperventilate. I needed to do something. What did I need to do? The building shifted beneath my feet again and helped spur me in to action. I raced across my apartment (which thankfully wasn’t very big) and grabbed the cross body bag that served as my purse. There wasn’t much in my apartment that meant anything to me but I skidded in to my bedroom and grabbed the copy of my favorite book I kept on my nightstand. I had a feeling one day being sentimental would be the ultimate cause of my demise. Hopefully today wasn’t that day.

I flew back to the front door to jerk it open and promptly slammed in to it. The door frame had bent under the pressure of the building sinking and the door would no longer budge. I secured my bag over my shoulder and ran back to the window, willing the gods to allow it to open. It took a moment or two of pushing and panting but I finally raised it high enough to get my whole body through. The building wasn’t leaning against the side of the hole yet and there was a small gap left between the two. A **very** small gap. I had to turn my head sideways to even get it to fit and as I slid the rest of my body through I found my breathing restricted and a rising resentment of my breasts growing. Flippantly I wondered how far medicine/science had perfected cryogenically freezing heads to place them on different bodies.

Everything around me shuddered once more and I discovered with much dismay that my hands couldn’t reach the edge of the ground hovering above me. I stretched out fully and used the rough exterior of the wall to gain purchase for my feet. I braced my hands and chest against the hard rocks in front of me and slowly began inching my way towards the top. Sharp edges tore in to my skin and I was soon covered in dozens of small bleeding cuts. My hands gripped the edge of hole right as I was beginning to feel the claustrophobia closing in on my mind and I would have shouted in triumph if I had any breath to spare. I didn’t have enough arm strength to pull myself straight up so I kept pushing upwards with my legs, using my hands to steady my upper body as I went.

Luck wasn’t on my side this day, however. The building began popping and snapping like something was actively trying to break it apart and I noticed the wall under my feet was tilting away from me. If I lost that wall there would be nothing except my spaghetti arms to keep me from dropping down in to the darkness. Blind panic overtook me and no plan of action could break its way through the haze. A keening wail tore from my throat and I knew the end was near. The wail didn’t stop when I felt an impossibly strong grip on my wrist. It didn’t even stop when pressure was added to my other wrist and I was lifted up right through the air over the edge of the pit. 

I landed on the hard pavement and my legs immediately gave out. I slumped to my knees and bent over at the waist, wrapping my arms around my middle in an attempt to stop the shaking that had set in.

“Are you all right?” An unfamiliar, accented voice came from far above me.

I shook my head and squared my shoulders before replying.“Yes I think I’ll be fine now. I can’t thank you e-” I glanced up at my rescuer only to find the Air Ghoul standing before me. “-noughfuuuuck what you are you doing here?”

I pushed myself to my feet so he wouldn’t tower over me so much but my legs didn’t get the memo and I started to fall over again. Air caught me by the shoulder and steadied me. And he still towered over me.

“Apparently I am, as Alpha would say, saving your sorry ass.” He said it so serenely I couldn’t do anything other than laugh.

“You did, didn’t you? My gratitude still stands even if you and your mates are getting to be a pain in my ass. Seriously though, why are you here?”

He looked at the fleeing mass of people around us and sucked in a breath. “We were attacked not long ago. My brothers were injured and Papa sent me to see if you or your organization had anything to do with it.” I laughed again before looking in to his eyes and seeing how angry he was.

I pulled my arm out of his grip and gestured at the chaos that used to be where I lived. “You think I did this? That I’m capable of such freakish powers? Buddy I don’t know what planet you’re living on but at the moment I lack the ability to throw fireballs at buildings.”

His eyes flashed dangerously and he stepped directly in to my personal space. “I did not reveal the nature of the attack to you. How exactly is it you know of what happened?”

My neck ached from leaning so far back. I felt like I was being suffocated all over again. “I saw it. I thought I was dreaming but since you’re here I’m guessing I managed to have a vision. Gods I hope that isn’t some new manifestation of what I’m already able to do.”

I dropped my eyes to ground to avoid his piercing gaze, only then noticing he was covered in blood. "You’re bleeding!” I exclaimed.

He didn’t even bother to glance down at his stained suit. “So are you.”

I was bleeding from numerous abrasions but nothing felt overly painful. From the dark stains covering his chest and legs I wagered his wounds were far worse. “I’ll be fine but you need a doctor, or at least a bandage or two. You can’t save me and then bleed to death in front of me. It’s rude.”

Air merely gazed down at me, finally speaking after what felt like an eternity. “I will not die from such crude means of war. Judging from the state you are in and the state of your habitat I believe it is safe to assume you were not responsible for the spell tonight. I’m meant to bring you back with me, however. Papa wishes to speak with you.” His hand again found itself on my shoulder and he pulled me closer.

“Hey, wait-” was all I could squeak before my world went black. Thankfully it wasn’t because I passed out and we blinked back in to existence only a second later. My whole body felt as though it had been unmade molecule by molecule, then put back together haphazardly and in the wrong order. Every fiber of my being was vibrating so hard it was causing the contents of my stomach to rebel in a glorious fashion. I wrenched my arm from the grasp of the tall Ghoul and stumbled back a few paces. Much to my consternation I bumped in to yet another Ghoul. Why were there so damned many of them?!

He was far less gentle than Air had been with his hold on me and I squealed in pain.

“Did she do this?” He shook me. I registered Omega’s voice and boy did he ever sound pissed. Shaking me some more, his hand grabbed my chin and forced my eyes to his. “Did you do it?” I would have normally been frightened by the crazy amount of rage he was displaying but all I could focus on was the buzzing in my ears. Uh oh. I opened my mouth to beg Omega to let me go but sadly it did not work out in either of our favor and I vomited all over his shoes.

This was almost better than a flamethrower.


	7. Open mouth -> Insert foot

“No,” I croaked as Omega danced backwards away from me, “I didn’t have anything to do with whatever _this_ is.” After wiping my mouth with the back of my hand I finally focused on where The Human Portkey had transported us- back to The Clubhouse parking lot. It appeared to be exactly as my vision had showed me, the destruction more disturbing than I previously believed. I thought of all the people who lived in my apartment building who were either injured or dead and suddenly I was thankful beyond all reason to Air for bringing me here. Seeing all those lives turned upside down would have left me a blubbering mess; at least here I might be able to provide some help without falling apart.

Scanning around for signs of life I could see two Ghouls off in the distance picking through the rubble of smashed up cars and debris. Omega had moved away from me a good five feet and was desperately trying to clean off his shoes on the ground while Air and Papa Emeritus spoke quietly, heads bowed together in great concentration. My eyes tracked over Water, who was lying on the ground at my feet with a large shard of glass sticking out of his calf. A strangled “Oh!” erupted from my lips and I dropped to my knees to evaluate the injury more closely. My assessment of all the Ghouls revealed they were a disheveled bunch, their elegant suits sporting large tears and blood stains similar to those I witnessed on Air. 

“Did someone call an ambulance?” I asked stupidly. My research before I was almost smashed to bits told me ghouls are nearly indestructible creatures and it would take a rather large amount of force to kill them outright. I was too much in shock earlier when asking Air about his injuries to remember such details and I guess I was still slightly dazed if I thought taking a bunch of ghouls to a hospital was a good idea. My hands hovered uselessly above Water’s leg, unsure of what action would be most effective at this point.

“I don’t need an ambulance.” He said, though his voice sounded as if it came from between gritted teeth. “If you could pull the glass out I should start to heal up fairly quickly.”

I didn’t ask why he didn’t do it himself. He was looking at me as he made his request and I had an inkling he was feeling as squeamish as I was just imagining having to yank sharp objects out of squishy flesh. I still lacked complete knowledge of ghouls but I’d never heard of one that didn’t delight in blood and gore. 

“I’ll need something to wrap around it so I don’t cut myself.” I said reluctantly. Alpha and Earth chose to rejoin the group in that moment and must have heard my request because someone’s suit jacket smacked me in the face an instant later.

“Ugh! What the hell!?” I snatched the shredded, dirty cloth from my face and glared at the now shirtless Alpha.

“What?” He asked, actually batting his eyelashes at me. “Your wish is my command, principessa.” I grimaced at his words and replied, “Congratulations Alpha, I find your words more revolting than the state of Water’s leg.”

Turning back to said leg I gingerly wrapped bits of coat around the edges of the glass and in one swift motion tugged the shard free. Blood poured from the wound and I tossed the glass aside so I could use the jacket to stop the flow. Water gently shooed my hands aside with a reassuring nod of his head and said, “It’ll be fine now. Just hurts like a son of a bitch.”

He glanced up at Alpha and Earth, asking, “Did you find those people who were out here earlier?” They both shook their heads no and Earth ran a hand over his mask in a very human gesture. “We couldn’t see any…uh, any bits or parts of them either. I’m guessing they were thrown farther than we thought or they simply disintegrated.” His words were punctuated by Alpha snapping his fingers and making a *poof* motion complete with sound effects.

“Must you be so crass all the time?” I couldn’t help the sharp edge to my tone. “Why were you looking for them anyways?”

A truly repugnant thought crossed my mind and tinged my next words with a bit of hysteria.

“You weren’t going to eat them _were you?_ ” The one notoriously consistent trait of ghouls across all the lore was their steady diet of freshly buried dead bodies.

“That’s adorable. The girl who belongs to one of the most murderous organizations this world has ever seen is accusing us of immoral acts.” Omega’s voice sounded off from behind me.

I rose up off my knees and turned to face him. “Listen, you grave robbing trash panda, I know what you’re implying and we aren’t like that anymore. This isn’t some cheesy 80s movie where you show me the horrors committed by the big bad corporation I work for so I can help your start-up defeat them at the end.”

He was silent for a second and then said softly, “If that’s true, why did you immediately think we were going to hurt people?” Before I could respond, Earth cleared his throat and added, “We only wanted to see if we could help.”

I felt like such a heel. At the end of the day these men hadn’t really done anything to warrant the accusations I was lobbing at them. This was another reason why I wasn’t usually allowed in the field; I was more than capable of understanding every detail of a case or a creature but I couldn’t translate it to real world situations.

My eyes glued themselves to the ground in front of me and I crossed my arms in defense. “I – I’m sorry. I guess I have trust issues.” I replied.

We fell in to an uncomfortable silence until Papa and Air reunited with the group.

“I have alerted your supervisor to this evening’s happenings.” Papa directed his words at me. “It appears he was informed of the attack on your building but was unaware of the destruction in this area. He will be here shortly to collect you and investigate. Air seems to believe you are not complicit in these shenanigans and that is good enough for me. For now.”

He didn’t react when I thanked him. He and the other Ghouls were busy staring at the mangled wreckage that was their bus and I suddenly felt like I was intruding on a private reflection. They acted much like family and I’m sure it was sinking in how close they came to dying.

In reality, it was starting to hit me too. I had no home. My neighbors in my building had no home and some of them might have died in the initial explosion. The worst part was not having a reason why. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it had something to do with Ghost but if these guys weren’t typical ghouls then why would someone want them dead? Whoever was behind this had obviously seen me at their show and discovered my Keeper identity, but what did they not want the Keepers to know about this band? If James couldn’t discover what Papa Emeritus was then surely the culprit didn’t believe I could.

I really needed to talk things over with James to see what he thought. There were too many unknown variables at this point and I was beginning to crash anyways. My adrenaline had finally stopped pumping, making me sleepier than I think I had ever been. I shambled over to a twisted pile of metal that used to be a car and sat down with my back resting against it. Bringing my knees up to my chest, I propped my arms and head on them and vowed to only close my eyes until my boss came to get me.


	8. Claws

Some time later I woke up in one of the bunk beds HQ kept for Keepers who were working cases and needed to crash for a few hours. Every single body part I had ached in some way and I could have kissed the person who knew to place me on one of the bottom beds. I swung my legs over the side and only just managed to bite back a pitiful moan as the cuts on my skin stretched and twisted from my movement. It was a good thing I held back that moan too, because I glanced up at the other bunks in the room and found my five newest best Ghoul friends sprawled out around me.

Their sleeping positions were quite indicative of their personalities, or what I’d seen of them so far. Omega slept on a top bunk facing the door, his back pressed steadfastly against the wall in what I could guess was a tactical defense position. I was surprised he agreed to step foot in HQ given his attitude earlier. Both Earth and Air took bottom bunks, with Earth curled up under the blankets and facing the wall while Air lay flat on his back with his arms crossed as though he normally slept in a coffin. Alpha (still shirtless) hung halfway off one of the top bunks and was snoring, his mouth lolling open in the most ludicrous manner and Water was…

… watching me from another one of the top bunks. His expression could give nothing away as he still had on one of those damnable masks and I realized the others were all sleeping in their masks as well. That had to be uncomfortable as hell but to each his own, I suppose. I tipped my head towards him and hobbled out the door in desperate need of a shower. Winding my way through the familiar corridors gave me a much desired sense of comfort, one I had a feeling I wouldn’t be finding any time in the near future. I ended my short trek in the locker room space of the overly large bathroom area that served all the Keepers who passed through.

My HQ is actually rather small compared to the ones near larger cities and more preferred locations. Seriously, if you were a vampire who exploded in the sunshine would you come to state where the sun doesn’t set until 8pm and comes up at 4am? To a place where the temperatures rise to the 90s starting in February? Nope. We aren’t exactly covered in monstrous creatures out here besides the odd chupacabra or Woman in White. We're kept busy enough but we're not stretched thin like some of the other groups throughout the country. This is why our bathroom is modeled after one you might find in a gym: showers, toilet stalls, lockers, and benches all carefully placed to give the illusion of privacy while not actually providing any. We simply didn’t have the room to add more.

Walking in to the space showed me no one else was around and I was glad for that. Everyone must’ve still been out working the destruction sites and it meant I wouldn’t have to answer any questions for the time being. Opening my locker, I pulled out a bag I kept there in case of emergencies. It held several changes of clothes and a lot of necessary hygiene products; my nasty over-packing habit finally paid off in spades. I left the bag on a bench, grabbed a couple of fresh towels from the bin, and found myself a spacious shower stall.

The water felt amazing against my sore muscles. I wanted to stay under the heated spray forever and forget about my responsibilities and what was to come. I was no closer to answering any of the questions I had the night before but I figured by this point my boss would have some leads we could follow. I trudged back to the locker room and pulled on my underwear and bra, but hissed in pain as the straps scraped along what felt like more cuts on my back. I turned in front of the mirror to see if the marks would be visible from that angle and I was stunned to discover three even, deep slashes on both the right and left sides of my shoulder blades. They had miraculously managed to seal themselves up despite their vicious appearance but they needed to be bandaged so I could actually wear my clothes without dying from discomfort. I dragged a first aid kit from my locker and was laying out the supplies I would use when a voice from the doorway caught my attention.

“Oh, uh, sorry. I was told this was the bathroom.” Water was awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other, a hand covering the eye holes of his mask.

I chuckled and told him he was in the right spot. “It’s a unisex locker room/bathroom area. After learning the things that go bump in the night are real, you tend to stop caring about what kind of heat someone is packing in their pants.” Normally I would have been horrified to be caught in my undergarments but I was too worn out to care and I needed someone to help me fix up my back.

I continued. “You can uncover your eyes - I’ve gone swimming in more revealing outfits than this. Actually, I could use your help.” Water walked over to the bench where I laid out my gauze pads, tape, and antiseptic wash and waited while I shoved myself in to a fresh pair of jeans. “Since I pulled that glass from your leg, could you return the favor and put some gauze over these scratches?” I sat on the bench next to him and exposed the unsightly mess that was my skin to his gaze.

“Ew” was his eloquent reply and I snorted. “I can get someone else to do it if you like. How is your leg, by the way?”

“All healed up. One of the benefits of being inhuman, because I probably would have bled to death otherwise. _What_ did this to you?” Air didn’t mention he skinned you alive when he pulled you from that hole.” Water’s fingers hovered above my skin, forming the shape of the marks and tracing the trail they left. “These come to a point at the top, like something dug claws in and dragged you around.” I was about to tell him it wasn’t Air’s fault and that I had no idea where they came from until I suddenly remembered how I felt after I’d watched The Clubhouse get destroyed.

“My vision!” I gasped. “Right before my building exploded I saw what happened to you guys. After I came out of it I felt like something had run me over. Maybe whatever gave me that vision gave me these lovely presents. I hope they came with a return receipt because I prefer books or socks to maiming.”

My story time was interrupted as someone said, “Well, isn’t this cozy?”

If there was ever a man or ghoul put on this earth I wanted to kick, it was Omega. Had the sneer in his voice been a physical object it surely would have smacked me in the face.

I was too tired for this nonsense. “Oh no, what are you doing here?” I asked. “Don’t you have other people to harass?”

“I was looking for my brother.” He glanced at Water and said, “We need someone to port to the house and get clothes. The others are still asleep and I need to find Papa so we can get out of this hole in the wall.”

Water nodded to his brother, gingerly patted me on the shoulder, and hustled from the room. Omega looked at me for a second and then asked, “What were you two talking about?”

“Not that you need concern yourself but Water was going to help me bandage up these cuts.” I gestured to the ones in question so he could see. “Since you’ve run him off, you now have the honors of the job because I just can’t bend that way.”


	9. Questions

Omega looked at me like I’d grown three heads right in front of him. Well, he shouldn’t have run my help off then. He came over to where I sat and I handed him the antiseptic wash. “Wash please, and then tape on the gauze.” 

“Don’t you have medical staff here?” He complained even has he began wiping down the scratches with the wash. I wanted to answer him but it felt like he was taking a blowtorch and slowly melting off my flesh bit by bit. All I could respond with was a pathetic whimper and his ministrations became gentler.

“Sorry. I’m not very good at this.” Astonishingly he sounded contrite and I wondered what made him go from hot to cold so quickly. 

Once he moved on from the wash to the bandaging I finally felt like I could focus on something else and said, “Yes, we do have medical staff but I reckon they’re all out in field. They’ll be taking care of the people who got hurt because I chose to live in an apartment.”

“What do you mean by that?” All the malice in his voice was gone and he was swiftly patching me up like I was no longer a burden.

“Our work can follow us home sometimes. Most Keepers choose to live in more secluded areas so there are less people around to get caught in the cross fire. I thought…I thought because I’m more support than an active hunter nothing would bother me. My arrogance got people killed.” Omega finished with the tape and stepped back so I could pull on a shirt. He was quiet as I took my toothbrush from my bag and went to the sink to brush my teeth.

“You can’t really blame yourself for that.” He said finally. I rinsed the toothpaste from my mouth and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He went on, “Whatever came at you tonight was because of us. Weird things have been happening around us for the past year – I guess whatever’s out there got tired of waiting and decided to make its move.”

I placed my toothbrush and bag back in my locker and gestured for him to follow me from the room. We stopped just outside the door and I questioned him about the sort of incidents he mentioned. He merely shook his head. “Let’s find Papa. I know he wanted to talk to your boss. This way we only have to tell our stories once.”  

He fell in step beside me as I led the way to James’ office and awkward silence engulfed us. I racked my brain for some sort of conversation starter and seized upon his words to Water. “Earlier you told Water you wanted him to “port” – what does that mean?”

Omega clasped his hands behind his back as we continued to walk and explained, “We weren’t born ghouls, so that makes us different from the ones you’ve read about. It’s why we don’t feed on dead bodies, unless you count cows in burger form, and we have a few extra powers that most ghouls lack. One of those powers includes an act like teleportation, except we open portals between destinations and pass through them instead of blinking in and out of existence.”

I scoffed a bit at that. “It sure felt like blinking in and out of existence when I traveled with Air. How do you get someplace without accidentally falling off the side of a cliff or something? Isn’t it dangerous?”

He paused before answering. “Air is – well, he’s different. He’s much older than the rest of us and has his own special way of doing things. I’ve known him for years and I still can’t read him very well. As for falling off a cliff? Luck. Sheer, dumb luck. It’s useful when we’ve already been to a location because we can visualize where we need to end up but it’s just guesswork when we’re testing out new spots.”

“If you weren’t born ghouls, what made you decide to become one? How exactly does one do that?” There were actually a lot of questions coming to my mind now and I did my best not to blurt them all out at once.

He wagged a finger at me, his silver rings glinting in the overhead light and replied, “Ah, ah, ah. Those are both very personal stories, ones I’m not going to tell someone like you. The only part worth knowing is everyone involved gave consent to the change and no one died in the process. I don’t need you people coming back after this is all over to arrest us, banish us, or stick us in a dungeon somewhere.”

I snorted. “I think this is the part in our 80s movie script where I ask you who hurt you so much that you can’t trust anyone, but alas we’ve reached our destination and I don’t have time for a therapy session.”

I pushed on the heavy double wooden doors that allowed entrance in to rooms making up James’ office. The first room was a rather large waiting area, complete with a couch, a few chairs and desk space for the Keeper of the Week who had to play secretary for James. Since we don’t indiscriminately kill off supernatural creatures anymore, he’s often in meetings with leaders of local creature communities trying to write up peace agreements and behavioral codes of conduct for those creatures to follow. He’s also called away to the other Keeper facilities that are shorthanded, which means he needs a person to schedule his life right down to his bathroom breaks (okay, maybe I’m the only one who does that on my rotation) but it’s a task no one wants. James is a decent guy but he’s one of the pickiest people I’ve ever met and it drives many of my co-workers and I crazy.

No one sat behind the desk now and I continued on to the next, smaller set of double doors that led to the office proper. The modern (diplomatic code for ugly) space was packed to capacity when we walked in. James sat behind his desk, Papa and Air in the two chairs placed in front of the desk, and Water, Earth and Alpha were left standing in any vacant space they could find between the bookcases and filing cabinets packed in to the room. I guess everyone was awake now. Omega and I squeezed through the doors and stood with our backs to them once they were closed. Water wordlessly tossed a bundle of black cloth to Omega and he exited the room to change in the waiting area. I noticed the rest of the band were attired in their regular stage clothes once again and I wondered if they were allowed to ever wear sweatpants or regular old t-shirts.

“Ellie.” James nodded his head in my direction. “Good, you’re awake. I need you to go with Earth to search through the Ghost archives. An attack like this is personal and they keep records of anyone who sends hate mail to band members. Emeritus and I figure this is the act of church vigilantes who got ahold of some magic they think they’re fighting evil with. Twits.” He cracked the knuckles of his left hand and looked at me once again. “Bring back a viable list of suspects. Earth can help you weed out the normal crazies from the truly dangerous ones.”

“Er, if Earth can help me “weed out the crazies”, then why can’t you just get a list from them now?” I inquired.

I knew what James was doing – he was getting rid of me. Someone tried to take out my apartment and I could tell he wanted me out of the way while he, Papa, and the rest of the Ghouls hunted down whatever was hunting them. I knew I should be fine with the arrangement but I was a little offended by the fact that no one seemed to believe I could be useful in other ways.

“Because there are too many people to list to remember them all at once.” Papa spoke up. “We know organization names but it is difficult to catalog every individual name in one’s brain. Surely you understand this?” He looked at me expectantly and I had to fight the urge to squirm like a scolded child.

“Fine.” I hesitated, wanting to say more, but with all faces focused on what was coming out of my mouth I wagered shutting up was best.


	10. A not-so-magical carpet ride

Earth extricated himself from between two bookcases and followed me to the waiting area. Omega gripped his brother’s arm as he passed us on his way back in to the inner office in what I took to be a silent “good luck”. Earth then moved to the middle of the room and rolled his shoulders in concentration. His hands came up in front of his face, palms out, and moved upwards above his head. One hand stayed there and the other sliced downwards toward the floor in one sweeping motion. The air shimmered with his movements and a wispy blackness erupted from the area where his hands had been. He used his palms to spread that blackness in to an opening and without a word to me, crossed through it.

That was definitely not what Air did when we traveled together.

I forced my feet towards what I assumed was the portal meant to take me to the Ghost archives. Trusting these guys at this point was a safe bet (maybe?) but that assumption didn’t stop my brain from screaming warnings at me the whole two feet I had to traverse to reach the rip in reality. “This is such a stupid idea. I’m demanding hazard pay after this.” I muttered. I stretched out a hand and ever so slowly inched my fingers in to the void. I was met by nothing unusual: no burning, no pain, no tingling. It was a step in the right direction after the way my night had gone and I continued to submerge more of my hand and arm in the darkness.

I was moving at a snail’s pace at this point but Omega’s words about luck kept ringing through my head and I really hoped where we were going was a well-traveled locale. Apparently I wasn’t going fast enough for Master Earth because he grabbed the part of my arm that was on his side of portal and dragged me the rest of the way through. His strength caught me off guard, however, and he hauled me out of the hole so fast I lost control of my momentum. Unfortunately for him, he was standing in my path when I came careening out the other side and even with all his Ghoul strength his tiny stature was no match for me. I watched in spellbound horror as I knocked him back so forcefully he went right over the edge of the ornate fountain we appeared next to and splashed wildly into the water. I gaped at him. He blinked back at me. And then we both burst in to hysterical laughter.

Still giggling weakly as he pulled himself up and over the side of the fountain, I probably would have continued to be amused by the drippy mess he had become but he casually waved his hand and a ridiculous gust of wind whipped up around us so forcefully I had to close my eyes against the pressure. When I opened them again Earth was adjusting his mask...and was also completely dry.

“Pardon the expression but what on Earth was that?” I was gaping at him again. “Is that part of your ghoul powers Omega mentioned?”

He smoothed down his clothing where the wind had ruffled them and nodded. “Yes, though air manipulation is only my thing.”

I let his words sink in, thought about the irony that he had this specific power instead of Air, and then screeched, “You’re an Airbender!” at him in the most undignified manner.

He laughed again but quickly pointed a finger at me and replied, “No. Absolutely not. I get enough of those jokes from Air and Alpha.”

“ **AIR** watches _Avatar_?” I squealed. “Don’t go bringing it up around him because he’ll just start yammering about how terrible the movie was and it’ll take ages to calm him down.” He was trying to glare at me but I was too busy fangirling to pay attention.

“I just never imagined Air for a cartoon lover.” He was intimidating as hell and I couldn’t picture him getting excited over, well, anything. Earth moved around me and said, “Yeah, he’s a huge pop culture junkie. Says it helps him understand humanity more. Dude’s freaky sometimes.”

I turned to assault him with more questions and immediately swallowed my words as I gazed up at the house in front of me. Actually, house would be a misnomer. Ghost must have been doing more than really well because what I stood in front of was a mansion. Surprisingly, it was a normal looking mansion. I would have bet my life they’d live in some Gothic castle (or maybe even in a cave) but certainly not this “regular rich person” grey stone building surrounded by lush green trees. Numerous windows, framed by black shutters and white trim, gave teasing glimpses in to the inner sanctum and I mused this wasn’t the sort of place where one should walk around naked unless they wanted to give the neighbors a show.

Once again Earth had decided not to wait for me and was already passing through a decorative iron door that didn’t look terribly security friendly. I hustled after him and passing through the doorway landed in a modest entryway and a living room space. Inside lay the personality I was searching for on the exterior of the house – black leather furniture, white walls, Brazilian cherry herringbone floors, and an array of creepy paintings helped to complete the look. On my right sat a wide staircase leading to the upper floors and an archway to my left revealed a large dining room dominated by an enormous black table and _the_ _gaudiest_ looking red chandelier. I didn’t even know they made red chandeliers.

Noises came from beyond another doorway through the dining room and I wandered that way in hopes of finding my guide. Find him I did, elbow deep in an over-sized black stainless steel refrigerator. He was piling food on the center island like he was aiming to feed an incoming army and I sat myself down at one of the bar stools to watch the show. The kitchen was very homey compared to the rooms I’d seen so far with its dark blue cabinets, butcher block countertop, white subway tile backsplash, and fancy tile flooring meant to mimic wood without the upkeep. The breakfast nook continued the homey theme with its large U-shaped dining booth and picture windows. I totally could be Cinderella if it meant living in this kitchen.

Earth set about cooking and we chittered easily about an array of topics. Truth be told, my awkwardness was kicking in and I was feeling a bit lost for words. We didn’t have much in common but it was less stressful to let Earth take the lead in our conversation. He explained how the house was pretty much for show (except for the studio in the basement and the library) and that each of the guys had their own small cabin on the property they preferred to stay in when not on tour. I admit I didn’t hear some of what was said because I was too busy being fascinated by the way he shoveled food underneath his mask. It takes dedication to keep a mask on while sleeping and eating.

We finished our meal and agreed it was time to begin our research. When we finally entered the library I was instantly head over heels in love. It was no library from _Beauty and the Beast_ but books covered every wall of the two story space. It was large enough to house four multi-person tables with wooden chairs on both sides, a plush looking couch, and a couple of leather armchairs (both of which looked more expensive than my car). The open wall space was beige in color and the flooring was made up of wide rough wood planks. It might have felt cold if not for the fluffy burgundy and black rugs arranged haphazardly around the room. Earth told me the heavy curtains were always kept drawn to protect some of the older texts from damaging sunlight but it was still well-lit and inviting.

“Why do you have so many tables?” I asked.

“Our collection is kinda unique. Locals and students like to come over and study what we have. We don’t collect much beyond the occult, philosophy, ethics, or religion, but there are some interesting history books in the mix. We’ve found a few fascinating personal journals as well, though the authors aren’t famous or anything.” He was staring around the room with obvious pride in his eyes and it was nice to see someone else love their books as much I loved mine.

“All right, so where do we start?”


	11. Loose lips sink ships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I usually try to write about three chapters ahead of when I update here, but I wanted to add another chapter now to thank everyone who has been so wonderful and encouraging in the comments. You all are far too kind and I appreciate it very much!

Earth skirted the circular staircase leading to the second story bookshelves and walked to the wall farthest from the door. The shelves here were stacked two stories tall but were not connected to the upper floor balcony. Earth moved over to a rolling ladder I hadn’t noticed and dragged it down to the first set of shelves, then climbed swiftly to the top. I couldn’t help thinking we were going to be here for a very long time if he was going to carry those books down one by one but his plan was quickly revealed when he pulled one book from the shelf, waved his free hand in a spiral, and slid the heavy tome on to the empty air. The invisible wind tunnel caught the book and swirled it down in slow motion to my waiting arms.

Okay, so maybe the first book came down a little too fast and smacked me in the face, but it was smooth sailing after that.

Earth continued this until he cleared two rows of shelves and I had covered an entire table with what turned out to be binders. The spine of each binder featured a label with the name of the organization the letters associated themselves with and a date range. Earth descended from his ladder perch and we took opposite sides of a table to begin our reading. He had decided we should start with the most populated binders first, which meant forcing myself to stomach vitriol from Big Name Religions.

Blergh.

“Uh, what about the letters not written in English? I can get by in Spanish but that’s about it.” I pushed a few pieces of paper towards him that were written in what honestly looked like Wingdings from MS Word. Earth stared at the paper for a moment and then shook his head in what I like to think was disbelief. “Just set them aside. I’m sure between my brothers and your resources we can find people to translate them. Maybe not _that_ particular one,” he pointed to the nonsensical letter, “but we should have the majority of them covered.” 

I noticed he was quite chatty with me and I wondered just how much I could get him to reveal. Omega hadn’t gotten the chance to speak of the strange events occurring around the band and I began thinking perhaps Earth might be my next best chance to learn. “So. Earth. Before you and I left on this grand, whirlwind adventure Omega was telling me how you all had some strange experiences this past year. I could really use some details, you know, to compare to these letters.” I looked at him hopefully.

His eyes narrowed on my face and he replied, “They said you’d be nosy.” He kicked his chair back a bit before bringing his feet up to rest on the tabletop and I settled down in my seat, waiting for story time. “At first we didn’t know anything weird was happening at all. It was just small stuff, like our gear going missing. That happens when you’re on tour for months at a time but it started happening at every single show. And the missing gear went from being relatively unimportant to “we’re fucked if we don’t have it”. I’m talking guitars, clothing, crew members – it was getting more craz-“

“Crew members?!” I interrupted him. “Did you ever find them?”

Sheepishly he looked away from me before uttering a very guilt-ridden “No”. For the third or fourth time that day my mouth hung open in disbelief.

I had to fight not to shriek when I said, “What do you mean “no”? Don’t tell me you’ve been touring this whole time with people missing?”

Earth pulled his feet down off the table and faced me squarely. “Look, I had just started with the band then. What was I going to do? Papa said he would handle it and I believed him.” Earth began to ramble almost frantically now. “The other guys were closer to the crew than me and if they ever wanted to stop the tour they would have. Plus some of them were new and I just assumed they got sick of being away from home and took off. It was right after that thing attacked Alpha and we made…” Watching him realize he’d said too much would have been comical if I wasn’t so damn curious about the end of that sentence.

“What attacked Alpha?” I crossed every finger I had that he wasn’t done confessing, but my wish was all for naught.

Earth shook his head violently like he had done with I’d first met him and knocked his chair over in his haste to get away from me. He didn’t even bother responding and practically ran out of the room before I could stop him.

Huh. That was certainly unexpected information.

At least Alpha’s slightly off-color attitude was explained now. He probably couldn’t deal very well with whatever he experienced and used humor to cover his insecurities. Of course, I couldn’t see how he could have any insecurities being a Ghoul and all.

I rocked back in my chair and followed that train of thought. Considering they came away from the blast at The Clubhouse with nothing more than scratches, it didn’t make much sense that being surprised by any supernatural creature could rattle a Ghoul. This meant the attack happened before Alpha made the change and was possibly the reason why he sought out a transition from Human to Other. But why would the rest of them do it? Papa was already Other (and most likely Air too) but for the whole group to make such a drastic change seemed a bit like overkill.

I rubbed my temples in frustration. Trying to suss out their motives was going to give me a headache. I picked up another stack of letters and tried to focus on my reading. I was fairly certain I wouldn’t find anything of use in these binders after Earth’s revelations but I didn’t have much else to do until someone came to take me back to HQ. Maybe then I could talk to James about Alpha, or even talk to Alpha directly. A few answers to our questions might blow this case wide open and give me my life back.

 

* * *

  

Word to the wise: do not piss off the people who are your only mode of transportation. Darkness had fallen a few hours earlier and I was sincerely starting to worry about being forgotten by my unruly comrades. The house was welcoming in the daylight hours but the windows that allowed so much comforting sunlight inside transformed in to yawning pits of the darkest level of hell at night. I’m not too proud to admit I spent five minutes sprinting around the first floor flipping on every light switch I could locate. I made use of the half bathroom located off of the kitchen and hurriedly slapped together a sandwich from leftovers I found in the fridge.

Walking back to library (the only place that had curtains, damn exhibitionist rock stars) I desperately wished my cell phone wasn’t dead. I didn’t see any kind of landline or computer in my mad dash to brighten up the joint and I wasn’t about to go searching the second floor or the basement for one either. That’s how idiots in horror movies get killed. I stopped outside of the library doorway and slid down the wall to the floor with my kitchen spoils. There weren’t any windows in the small hallway and I didn’t want to disrespect the library by dropping crumbs all over the place.

As I finished wolfing down my food I heard a strange rustling noise coming from inside the library. Before I could peek around the corner to find the source someone called out, “Miss Portland?” _Papa_! I scrambled up from the floor and attempted to make myself presentable. I ducked beneath the doorway and spied Papa standing next to the table I had been working at. Oddly enough the black bag I kept in my work locker rested on the carpet next to him and he glanced up from the papers on the table to watch me walk toward him.

“Papa Emeritus. I’m glad you’re here – I was beginning to think I’d been left behind.” I laughed awkwardly and tugged on the hem of my shirt in a nervous gesture.

Papa smiled softly at me and gestured to the piles of papers. “It seems you have not been lacking in work to do. You have made good progress. You have found anything worth reporting, yes?”

I told him I hadn’t yet, though I did have letters I needed translating and perhaps they would yield results. He clucked his tongue and stooped to pick up my bag, carrying it over to where I was still standing near the doorway.

“There are still many documents to evaluate. You will continue tomorrow. I am not sure what you said to Earth to make him so, ah, flustrated? Yes, flustrated, but I will make sure one of my other Ghouls is here to assist you.” He held the bag out for me to take and I did so as I asked, “Aren’t I going back to HQ?”

He paused for a moment and met my eyes almost hesitantly. “Your supervisor does not believe it wise for you to return to work. There was an incident there today. Whatever destroyed the venue and your home also tried to destroy your HQ.”


	12. Looking glass upon the wall, at my command you will show me all

I couldn’t hold back the curse that escaped my mouth after he dropped that bombshell on me. Papa chuckled and patted my shoulder before turning to walk back over to the research table. He picked up a piece of paper from my translation pile and seemed to read over it as I tried to gain my composure. “Was anyone hurt?” I finally managed.

“Oh no, everyone is fine. The bar that serves as your deception was obliterated but because your HQ is underground it was well protected from the rest of the blast. My Ghouls and I, along with James, were the only ones occupying the building at the time. He sent your other Keepers back to their homes until all is considered safe again. Because you are working here, he asked we allow you to stay with us. I see no problems with this arrangement. This property is secure from many types of magical and mundane means of destruction.”

“Did the other Ghouls come back with you?” 

“Yes. It is safer for them here while we take our rest. We have postponed the tour indefinitely. They are in their other homes on the property.” He stopped reading through the letters and faced me once again. “If you require nothing else, I shall take my leave. Feel free to choose one of the rooms upstairs as your own for the duration of your stay.”

I held up a hand to halt him from leaving. “Do you have a phone? If I’m going to be up here alone I’d like to know I can contact someone.”

“Of course. The bedrooms upstairs are all connected on an intercom system. They will allow you to communicate with the outside cabins.” He looked a bit exasperated now, like I was keeping him from something important with my silly questions. It didn’t stop me from blurting out, “There’s one more thing.”

I glanced down at my bag and fiddled with the strap as I haltingly said, “Papa. Is there…well, do you think it’s possible…” That strange rustling noise came again. “Do these attacks have anything to do with what happened to Alpha a year ago?” I half expected him to start shouting at me to mind my own business but when I brought my head up he was nowhere in sight. I had a feeling he knew what I was about to ask, especially if Earth told him our entire conversation.

What was it with everyone trying to weasel their way out of answering a simple question? If the events that occurred did have something to do with Alpha then wouldn’t they want to find out now, so they could stop it? I would have to be more careful with my probing. Water might be willing to assist me but I knew Omega, Air, and Earth would keep me in the dark as much as possible. Alpha was the true wild card in this scenario – would he be willing to talk about what happened? Or would he rage at and curse me for reminding him of painful memories?

I shrugged my shoulders at the empty air and picked up my bag. Making my way around the first floor, I flipped the lights off (except for the kitchen) and jogged up the wide staircase. It seemed pointless to be afraid now that I knew five Ghouls were on the property, and protected property at that. It was getting late but I was a bit curious as to how the bedrooms looked. There were eight doors in the hallway upstairs, all perfectly spaced at even distances, and I quickly made my way down both sides of the hall to throw open every door. The rooms were not done in a cheesy fashion like the downstairs living room and dining room. Each was equipped with a king size bed, two nightstands, a wardrobe and a dresser. A TV sat on every dresser and a black robe hung on the back of what turned out to be doors to a private bathroom. The only theme I could discern was that of color: royal blue, black, grey, brown, white, purple, crimson, and hunter green linens all matched perfectly with the rugs on the floors and the curtains covering the windows.

I chose the brown room. It had a bohemian chic feel to it and the rugs here were extra fuzzy, as though someone had picked them out with more care than the others. It was also close to the stairs just in case the place wasn’t as safe as I was lead to believe. I switched on the TV and had to wipe the dust from the screen to see it properly; I suppose this one didn’t get much use. I wasn’t sure how long I would be staying so I decided to make myself as comfortable as one could in a strange home. I unpacked my clothing, folding pants and undergarments in to the dresser and hanging up shirts in the wardrobe. I took my toiletries in to the bathroom and laid them out on the sink counter.

The bathroom was nondescript except for the gorgeous rain shower and Jacuzzi tub that were sitting in the corners opposite from the doorway. Even though I had already bathed that morning I couldn’t resist the shower and spent a good ten minutes trying out the different knobs on the wall just to see what they did. It was a _serious_ crime the house was considered just for show. I put on a tank top and sleep shorts, double checked that the windows were locked, and crawled beneath the thick comforter covering the bed. I set the alarm on the nightstand for the next morning and was asleep before I could finish the _Friends_ re-run I’d found on the television.

I went to bed with the hopes of having a restful night but something was hell-bent on messing up my master plans. Deep in the sleep of the uncaring, I did not realize the dream that had started was not of my own creation. It started off innocently enough: my consciousness drifted along behind a man whose face I could not see as he hurried down a narrow, empty road. A full moon hung high overhead and the ground was blanketed with fresh snow. It could have been a scene from hundreds of years ago if not for the man’s modern clothing and the style of the houses he passed on his way to his destination. I was so busy looking elsewhere that I did not see the monstrous _thing_ emerge from the surrounding forest to block the path, and if I’d had a corporeal body I probably would have keeled over from fright.

It was a truly hideous creature and I had to force my dream eyes to look at it directly. At least ten feet tall and vaguely humanoid, it was skeletally thin with grotesquely long, spindly limbs and grey-ish black skin that appeared to absorb the moonlight shining down upon it. The stench emanating from it was unlike anything I’d ever experienced and I didn’t know how the man wasn’t on his knees retching before the thing. Its face was skull-like but only smooth skin resided where the eye sockets should have been. I wasn’t sure what to focus on after that – the extended lower jaw covered in jagged teeth and foul, dripping saliva or the enormous pair of twisted red horns sprouting from the sides of its head where it should have had ears.

The creature moved with startling speed, bringing one of its deformed, clawed hands to rest on the side of the man’s head. He began to visibly shake and another set of claws clamped with crushing force around his lower body. Dreadful screams echoed through the cold and otherwise peaceful night, shattering every sense of safety a human being could have. The creature slowly pulled the man closer to its mouth and I desperately wished for a way to turn away from whatever was about to happen. The screams transformed from dreadful to almost inhuman with primal fear, summoning the darkest despair and bleakness to snake its way in to my very essence.

A familiar noise I couldn’t place came from somewhere behind my field of vision and suddenly the being was blasted away from the poor soul it was torturing. Before I could catch a glimpse of the mysterious savior I was awakened by the shrill chirping of the alarm clock next to my head. I bolted upright and slammed my palm down on the off button. As I slowly climbed out of bed I was “Maury Paternity Test” 99.999% certain I had just witnessed Alpha surviving a Wendigo.


	13. Hounds of Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all like songfic chapters because my inner 15 year old self couldn't resist throwing it back to 2005.

Judging by the lack of uproar around me that day, I'd guessed what I’d seen had been an old memory. The next week passed speedily and I was mercifully left vision-free each time I closed my eyes. Just seeing it through the haze of a dream was enough to turn me in to a walking zombie and I vowed never to bring it up around Alpha. Ever. His screams still reverberated through my head at random times and it became more difficult to control my emotions. It was a moot point anyways, because only Water (and eventually Earth again) was allowed to be my babysitter. I assumed they were keeping me away from Alpha so I couldn’t question him, Omega probably didn’t want to be in the same room with me, and Air was likely to open up a can of whoop ass on anyone who suggested he do any task so menial as keeping an eye on the troublesome Keeper.

The only time I saw anyone other than Water and Earth was when Water and I argued over my leaving the house to purchase more clothing and supplies. Omega had shown up then trying to play mediator but my frazzled nerves wouldn’t allow me to be reasonable.

_“Are you telling me I’m trapped here?” Rage raced so strongly through my limbs they began to shake. They told me to stay here because I didn’t have a home, not because I was a goddamn prisoner._

_Omega spread his hands in a gesture of defense. “No, that’s not it at all. Whatever keeps striking at us obviously doesn’t care when or where it can get us – just as long as it does. We can’t guarantee your safety if you go out. If you’d just give us a list we can get someone to go out for you.”_

_He was being perfectly logically about the whole situation and on some level I appreciated this. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the level that was winning the battle inside me and I rose on my tip-toes to stick my face directly in his. “If you don’t let me out of this house, so help you God, I will burn this shack to the ground so completely it’ll be like it was never here.”_ Omega had then allowed Water to port me out of the house so I could get what I needed.

After that I found it too tiresome to carry on with small talk and my time was spent steadily reading through binders full of letters. Every now and then Water would shoot a worried glance in my direction but I think Earth was grateful I wasn’t going to pry any more information out of him. 

On the eighth day of my exile I got a house guest. I was walking up the stairs to go to bed when a portal opened on the landing above me and Alpha stepped directly in my path. I flicked my eyes up to meet his and waited for him to move. His eyes never wavered from mine and he seemed to pause to think of his words.

“I thought you’d like some company in the house tonight. We could watch a movie, play cards, or drink ourselves in to oblivion.” The silliness of his words was offset by a hardness in his eyes and he practically bore a hole in my face while waiting for my response.

“No. I want to go to bed. I’m very tired.” was my wooden reply and I pushed by him to continue on my way.

He scoffed slightly and said, “It’s only 9pm! The night is still young. I bet you haven’t found the top shelf booze we keep stashed here.” His hand came down on my shoulder in an attempt to halt my movement.

That was the absolutely worst thing he could do. Something inside of me I couldn’t control snapped in to a thousand pieces and a guttural noise I didn’t know I could make escaped from my throat. Redness clouded my vision as I rounded on him and slammed my palm in to his chest to get him off of me. It was in that moment I realized something was truly wrong because instead of moving Alpha back a step like I had intended, he went flying down the hallway and crashed in to the wall with a thunderous BOOM. A voice went wild in my mind, and though I couldn’t make out words I knew by the tone it was trying to convey an urgent message.

I hissed in agony as an immense pressure squeezed against my eyes and eardrums, cutting off my hysterical inner monologue. A sob escaped from my throat as I barreled through my bedroom door and slammed it shut behind me.

Standing in the middle of the room I caught my breath and waited for Alpha to break down the door to throttle me. Nothing so dramatic happened and my anxious demeanor returned to that of indifference. Rationally I knew I should be frightened but even that melted away as soon as it crossed my mind. I didn’t even bother to change my clothes before I lay down on the bed and was asleep before another thought could make its presence known. 

I woke up some time later in total darkness. I’m not talking the kind of darkness where you can make out the shapes of things around you as your eyes adjust; no, I’m talking about the complete absence of light. The numbness I had felt earlier dissipated in an instant only to be replaced with paralyzing panic. I panted heavily in to the crushing silence and dared not move because I was so disoriented I couldn’t tell if I was standing or sitting. I waited for something to happen…and waited….and waited. I aged an eternity in those minutes; whispered supplications and pleas fell frantically from my lips only to be eaten by the heaviness surrounding me. 

Color, light, and sound all crashed in to me in one great rush. It might have been almost bearable had the scenes and noises consuming me been fully formed but they were merely fragments of time and space, designed to send me in to insanity. Music was sped up, maniacal laughter slowed down; screams of men, women, kids, even animals overlapped the other sounds and would have sent me to my knees if I’d had any. Every minute or so a snippet of music played clear as a bell, giving me respite from the nightmarish cacophony.

 

_I am just an empty shell_

 

The scenes flashing before my eyes were no clearer. I wanted to beg for at least one discernible image but everything was moving too quickly for it to register in my brain.

 

_Haunted by the hounds of hell_

 

_Good has lost and evil won_

 

I was being taunted.

 

_I can't feel nothing, I'm just numb_

Everything was just too blurry and bright.

 

As something threatened to break what was left of my spirit, the noises suddenly stopped and the images slowed to something I could make out. A barren forest; dead earth; unfamiliar sigils carved into the ground; a knife covered in blood. It all came in the form of snapshots, photographs of an occurrence I couldn’t be a part of.

 

_Hounds of hell_

 

The scene started rolling past my eyes as though someone had put all the shots into a flipbook. New images were added to the end of the throng: Air. Earth. Water. Omega. Alpha.

 

_Hounds of hell_

Papa I. Papa II. Papa III.

 

As Papa III whisked past my sight everything became dark again until a deafening voice bellowed with soul shaking power.

 

_This. Must. Be. The. End._

 

The roar brought with it one final picture - the most empty, dead eyes not meant to be viewed by mortals. Terrorized screaming began again and the void swallowed me whole.

I awoke to find the screams from my nightmare were coming from my own mouth and I was helpless to stop them. I kicked and thrashed wildly trying to escape what I had just beheld until my bare foot connected painfully with the ceiling above me. That...should not have been possible. Twisting my head around, I found I was levitating far above my comfy bed while a frantic Alpha shouted my name below. The astonishment from seeing such a sight was enough to send me plummeting back towards the bed and I crashed into it with jarring force.

Hands gripped my upper arms in an iron vise and I was violently hauled up, only to then to be thrown roughly through the doorway to the hallway floor outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song I used here is "Hounds of Hell" by Dead Soul. I'm sure many of you know them because they toured with Ghost, but if you don't I highly suggest you go listen to them. Like, right now.


	14. There's a demon in my soul

“Ow.”

 Sometimes I could be so eloquent with words.

I flopped over on my back and squinted up at the five Ghouls and one Papa standing in a circle around me. What was supposed to leave my mouth was, “What the hell just happened?” but it didn’t _quite_ come out that way. “Hey fellas. My, don’t you all look so serious! Ooooh you know what this looks like? The beginning of a gangbang!” I let out an unhinged giggle.

Omega and Air each reached down to grasp one of my arms and maneuvered me up until I was on my knees, my butt resting on the backs of my heels. “Oh yes indeed boys! This is much better.” I crowed with triumph. “Who wants to go first? I’m quite flexible you-”

A resounding smack echoed through the hallway as Papa Emeritus brought his palm across my face, hitting me so that my head whipped to the side with such force I heard my neck crack. Blood trickled down from my nose and in to my open mouth. 

“Papa!” One of the Ghouls dared admonish their leader, though I couldn’t tell which Ghoul it was. “She’s still human. You’ll break her neck!” 

**“She’s human for now, filthy ghul.** ” A different voice emerged from between my lips and it was most definitely not mine. It was the vocal equivalent of nails on a chalkboard, of silverware scraping across a plate the wrong way, of a metal chair being dragged across a concrete floor.

I could only wait in my subconscious while whatever was controlling me kept speaking. “ **It is unfortunate to see you, Emeritus. Master had hoped we would not be meeting so soon. I did not realize this waste of meat was so weak.** ” The thing punctuated this last sentence by hocking a blood-laced loogie on the expensive rug beneath me. I know I said I’d clean up after myself but I hoped the guys realized that did not include bodily fluids emitted while being possessed.

Papa did not seem at all surprised by the words my possessor was saying. In fact, he let out a loud laugh. “Tis the curse of being a demon, I would wager? You may have power in Hell but you lack the ability to properly strategize. Pray tell, what interest is the girl to you?”

Blood began to flow more freely from my nose, and also from my ears, eyes, and mouth. **“She means nothing, Angel. Master was merely going to use her to force you to keep your end of the bargain. Cursed cattle are not bred as strongly as they used to be.”** The demon’s words were slightly distorted by the amount of blood flowing down my face, dripping steadily from my chin. **“He gave me a message for you, Angel. He let you have your fun, believing you could outrun your debt. His generosity has come to an end and he demands you carry on with the rest of the ceremony.”**

The demon spat more blood from my mouth, this time aimed at Papa’s pristine shoes. “ **You say demons lack ability to strategize but it is you who gave yourself over to Master Belial, all to save poor. pathetic. pitiful. Alpha.”**

The demon turned my head to face Alpha now and sprayed blood at him as it laughed. **“And you let him do it. Disgraceful, even for a human. How does it feel to know you’re responsible for the demise of your beloved leader, and the others I killed to get to him? You allowed your brothers to turn themselves in to monsters. What a disappointment you must be.”**

My body had started trembling while the demon taunted Alpha and I knew if I didn’t do something fast this thing was going to allow all of my blood to leak out and kill me. Supposedly I was one of the strongest at mind manipulation around, right? So I should be able to kick some low-level asshole demon out of my head. I turned my thoughts inward and fought hard to find some vestige of my power. I didn’t have to search long to find it but it was a tremulous thread and I wasn’t sure how much I could do with it. I pushed against the power and rode it farther in to my mind to find where the demon’s compulsion resided.

Despair gripped me as I found the pulsing, black mass of evil that had wrapped its oily tentacles around my free will. With my power so diminished there was no way I could remove the demon from my body. Perhaps…perhaps not alone anyways. I was running out of options and it was time to cowboy up. I used my power like a lasso and rope to snake around the invading blob, tying it’s will up like it had my own. Unsure of how long it would hold, I forced my essence back to consciousness and growled between gritted teeth, “Tied. It. Up. Get. Out. Of. Me.”

Papa hastily reached out for me but Omega raised his free hand to stop him from helping. “Is it wise? What if this is some kind of trap, Papa? We should be cautious.”

I understood where he was coming from but if Papa didn’t shut up and nut up he wouldn’t have to worry about my motives. Steadied by he and Air, I reinforced my control over the demon and tilted to the side so I could free one of my legs and mule kick Omega squarely in the shin. “Stuff. It.” I snarled.

Eyes glowing with fire, Papa Emeritus chuckled and placed his hand on my head to focus his powers on top of mine. I thought I had known pain in this world but in that instant I knew why I was kept out of fieldwork. Nothing could have prepared me for the ripping and tearing of that egotistical hellspawn from my brain. Part of me almost shouted to stop for surely I wasn’t going to survive this even if we did push it out, but I savagely destroyed the thought the next instant. If I was going to die it was going to be from freeing myself, not because I let some fuckface demon bleed me dry in a power play against a bunch of musicians.

Fueling that extra anger to my power, I imagined it as a tangible object – a silver, flaming great sword. Screaming both internally and externally I used the last of my strength to stab that sword directly in to the heart of the demons control. It exploded in a fantastic splash of red and black and snapped my inner self back in to the driver’s seat of my body. Omega and Air let go of my arms and I pitched forward to rest my head on the floor in front of me. I was still shaking and tears leaked from my eyes as I began to feel again after a week of almost total detachment. Voices burbled above me and I focused on them to distract myself from the overload of sensation.

“Papa, what did the demon mean when it talked about a bargain? What did you promise it?”

“How did that thing even get in here? I thought our wards were better than that.”

“Look, all I’m saying is we should be careful around her. We don’t know how long she was in league with It.”

Ugh. The constant flow of chatter agitated my heightened state of awareness instead of soothing it. I braced my palms against the floor and started shuffle-crawling across the hallway to my bedroom. All talk stopped as I moved but no one tried to keep me from passing the threshold and kicking the door closed. The demon was half right when it said it shredded my brain – I’d suffered some pretty nasty damage from its intrusion but luckily my Keeper training in strengthening mental walls kept me from converting in to a vegetable. The bed was far too tall to climb in my condition so I aimed for the bathroom instead. I’d crawled to the tub and climbed in to it dozens of times when I was drunk so doing it now shouldn’t be much more difficult than that.

 I managed to roll myself painfully over the side of the large tub and stretched out as best as I could. I wasn’t sure how much blood I’d lost but I needed to rest before forcing the Ghouls and Papa to tell me what really happened with their transformation.


	15. Pile O'Ghouls

I might have taken a beating but boy did it feel nice to sleep deeply without interruption. No nightmares or visions plagued me and I was able to wake naturally to the darkness of the room. I fully expected to feel every hour I’d lain in that tub asleep in stiff, sore muscles but instead I could only feel softness beneath my head and the rest of my body. I shifted around a bit until I realized I had been taken from the tub and placed in my bed. Though I was comfortable, there was a heaviness around me that made me feel as though I was suffocating…and something hard was definitely poking me in the back. A soft glow coming from a light left on in the hall illuminated the room just enough for me to see as I sat up and turned to my left to find out what was behind me.

I certainly wasn’t prepared to find a Ghoul cozied up next to me and another Ghoul splayed out next to him. Judging from the slender nature of the body attached to it, it was Earth’s mask that was digging insistently into my flesh, which meant the somewhat larger Ghoul closest to the door was Water. I took stock of the rest of the room and discovered someone had dragged a chair in for Air to use as his makeshift bed, the pronounced slouch of his shoulders the only indication he wasn’t fully aware of his surroundings. That meant the long form to my right radiating heat like a furnace from Hell was Omega. 

Despite the situation and the whole possession nonsense I found myself genuinely liking this merry band of misfits and seeing them all sprawled about like that had my heart swelling with sappy emotion. It also had my stomach growling loud enough to wake the dead. I managed to wiggle my way out from underneath the covers without waking anyone and I headed out the door in search of food. 

I would have made it too, if it weren’t for those meddling Ghouls. The lights were on downstairs and the time on the clock in the living room told me I’d slept the day away, with evening having fallen once more. When I left the staircase I saw the door to the basement studio was ajar and riotous singing (more like howling) floated up to where I stood. There were only two others missing and I figured it wasn’t Papa down there caterwauling away. Sure enough as I came down the basement stairs I found Alpha spread-eagle on a couch, a literal mountain of liquor bottles on the floor surrounding him. 

“Gods above, Alpha. What’re you doing?” I asked as I carefully picked my way through the maze of booze. He swiveled his head towards me and stopped making noise long enough to belch rather loudly in my direction. 

Yummy. 

He went back to his singing and I had to shout to be heard over the din. “Alpha! ALPHA!” The singing stopped again. “Seriously, are you okay?” I gingerly sat on the end of the couch, trying to avoid his restless legs and jiggling feet.

“Why wouldn’t I be fine? Do you see how much alcohol I have?” He giggled as he flung out an arm to his stash, causing a great wave of bottles to go tipping over and rolling across the floor. Luckily (or unluckily?) they were all nearly empty and didn’t make even more of a mess. 

“Uh, are you sure? Because people who are “fine” don’t normally drink this much. Do you want to talk about, erm, anything?” I couldn’t bring myself to say “the Wendigo”, “the demon”, or “whatever the hell you all did during the ritual that caused this whole disaster you’ve been continually lying to me about”. Just call me Captain Self-Restraint. 

Alpha focused his eyes on me as though he only just realized who I was. “I-I should be asking you that.” He struggled to sit up and when he finally did he brought his masked face a little too close to my own. He whispered carefully, “I thought…your brain was…*hiccup* all torn up?” He flopped back against the couch and out of my personal space but somehow managed to keep his attention on me. 

I tried to consider my words before I spoke. “That’s what demons do. They lie. I do believe this demon truly thought I was going to die from what it did but it was arrogant and wrong.” I hesitated. “I guess you didn’t know demons lie? Or else you wouldn’t have made a deal with them?” I cringed horribly as I let those last words escape my mouth but I had to ask eventually – it might as well be while he’s drunk. 

“Nonononononono. *hiccup* There WAS no deal. There wasn’t. I swear. We didn’t have to promise anyyyyyything.” Alpha flailed a little as he tried to recreate his drunken history. “But…but Papa made a deal didn’t he?” I asked gently.

He sucked in a giant gulp of air, a sound that was amplified by the mask on his face, and his voice was faint when he replied, “He never told me. He said Belial would help.” His eyes pleaded with mine and I could see tears forming as he tried to find understanding. “He said Belial would _help_! All because I was weak. Weak and pathetic.” 

A wretched sob wracked his frame and he buried his mask in his hands. It was almost like his sadness and shame were physical manifestations in the room and it was breaking my heart. I placed a hand on his back and rubbed in a circular motion, trying to soothe him somehow. 

“I saw it, you know. I saw what attacked you. Alpha, that thing was terrifying. You are NOT weak or pathetic. You were human and you were scared. Surviving what you did is so rare, Alpha. Do you know how many years it took for me to get over my own attack? More than I care to admit. You did what you could to save yourself and there is no shame in that.” I had no idea where these words were coming from but someone had to tell him it wasn’t his fault.

His sobs were still loud and I raised my voice slightly, hoping I was getting through to him. “And if Papa bargained with a demon that is _his_ problem alone. I know you’re family but he made a choice and now he will deal with it. We can help him figure out how but you cannot take on his decisions as yours. The weight of living two lives will crush you.” 

Alpha’s shoulders had stopped shaking by the end of my speech but he didn’t raise his head yet. With his face pointed away from me I almost missed his question. “What attacked you?” I continued rubbing his shoulders as I thought back to sharp teeth coming right for my exposed neck.

“It was a vampire.” I replied. “I was leaving work one night and I was supposed to be safe with all the lights and security around, but it still got me. I only stopped him because he unlocked my ability and I turned it against him. See? I had to transform too, just to survive. You aren’t the only one who’s had to make tough choices to continue living.”

I was pretty sure he’d stopped crying and after a few moments his breathing evened out. All was quiet until my stomach took the most inopportune moment to emit the sound of dying whale. I waited for a smart remark from Alpha but he didn’t even flinch. I leaned a bit closer to him to check his breathing and found he was snoring softly. 

“Well I hope you heard at least some of that.” I said to the empty air and tried to lean him down on the couch without knocking him to the floor. It was not a good day to give me a heart attack but these Ghouls were sure determined to try. “I think he heard you.” Omega’s voice came from the bottom of the stairs and I let out a startled squeal in surprise. 

“Oh I swear you do that on purpose!” I hissed at him, trying to yell in the quietest voice possible. “You know, someday when I’m dead I’m going to come back and haunt your ass as a disembodied voice.” 

He simply chuckled at my indignation and said, “There’s dinner upstairs for you. We thought you might be hungry. I’ll put Alpha to bed.”


	16. Mind where you step - there's fluff everywhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of me wants to apologize for throwing unnecessary nonsensical fluff in the middle of the story but...I couldn't help myself. I meant for these scenes to be part of other chapters but they didn't fit. I can only promise that the next chapter will spill the beans all about Papa and his bargain with Belial.

Dinner was cheery affair considering what we’d all witnessed the day before. Much of my time was spent forcing Air to compare thoughts on television shows and then I introduced him to the travesty that was the movie version of Eragon. He promised to read the book and then watch the film to see if I was crazy or not. Poor bastard. 

I trudged up the stairs once more, desperate for a shower to clean off all the dried blood on my body. It had soaked through my clothes and stained the skin underneath, leaving me a sticky filthy mess.

I didn’t dawdle under the spray as I scrubbed clean and discovered I was exhausted again though I had spent the entire day sleeping. I pulled on my nightclothes and was flipping off the lights when a knock came at my door. I opened it to find Omega standing there and my eyebrows rose in surprise.

“May I come in?” It was such a formal request that I almost snorted but I only nodded and turned around to move so he could enter. The door clicked shut behind us and I felt him move up against me as his arms wrapped securely around mine.  I tensed for a half a second before comprehending the fact that he was hugging me and not trying to murder me. I attempted to speak but found it more difficult than I expected.

“What-” My voice crackled in the most embarrassing way and I stopped to clear my throat before continuing. “What brought this on?”

He leaned down to my ear, murmuring softly, “I wanted to thank you, for what you did for Alpha.”

I shrugged and focused on trying to get my chest to rise and fall evenly. “What did I do?”

Omega pulled his arms away from mine and used a hand to turn me to face him. He pulled me in close once more and wrapped his arms around my waist. There was no sarcasm or malice in his electric blue eyes as he answered me. “Belial’s messenger really tore him up mentally. You showed him someone understands what he’s feeling. It was the one thing my brothers and I couldn’t do for him. Hopefully you made him realize he isn’t alone.”

I’d placed my hands on his chest and started fidgeting with the buttons of his suit while he spoke. I wished I could convey to him the horror of what Alpha went through and how my own experience paled in comparison. Perhaps that was a conversation best left for another time. Instead, I changed the subject.

“You all got here lickety-split when I was spinning around on the ceiling. I take it one of you had an inkling something was wrong in advance?”

Omega nodded and said, “My “special” power, actually. You opened your mind to mine when you tried to command us not to kill people,” wry humor flashed through his eyes, “so when you threatened to burn the house down I was able to sense something else was sharing your head space. We wanted to figure out what is was sooner but Papa asked us to just keep an eye on you and see what happened. Probably not the wisest decision he’s made.” His laugh was rueful. “My guess is it snuck in to your mind with that first vision you had of us at The Clubhouse.”

I wanted to be angry with them for keeping such a secret from me but we were all flying blind, no guidebook to tell us the right moves we should be making. I wound my arms around him and hugged him tightly. He was so big and warm, something I desperately needed after the last week. I did my best to keep my eyes open to savor the moment but I was just too drowsy and I felt myself drifting. The world tilted a bit as Omega lifted me in his arms and placed me on the bed, drawing the covers up to my shoulders. I managed to find the energy to ask him to stay, and I tugged on his hand until I felt the mattress dip down beside me. I curled up against him as his arms encircled me once more and I hoped it was enough to keep the monsters at bay for one more night. 

* * *

 

Omega was indeed able to keep the monsters at bay but when I woke up the next morning the rotten SOB had disappeared. I hoped he and the rest of his brothers knew that today we were sitting down for a little Q&A session now that I was back in control of my mental faculties. After dragging on comfortable clothing I headed for the kitchen, popping a couple of slices of bread in the toaster. A quick sweep of the basement and first floor revealed everyone had (conveniently) gone MIA. I returned to the kitchen, hoarked down the toast plain with a glass of orange juice, and then began cleaning up the messes we’d made in the library.

I gathered up the letters we separated in to piles and methodically started placing them back in their correct binders. Somebody had best be finding me a computer after all this nonsense was said and done because I planned on spending another month or two here to transfer all this paper chaos to digital. We could have saved valuable time just typing a few keywords in to a database instead of reading all the broken ramblings of unstable individuals. We would have been able to translate everything instantly as well. Hey Ghost, welcome to the 21st century.

I worked at reorganizing the letters through lunch and well in to the mid-afternoon. Still no one had shown up and my anger began to simmer on a slow burn. I placed a stack of binders on the ground next to the shelves they were meant to go on but I had no way to get them up the ladder efficiently. I thought of the bag I used to tote my clothing in and raced up the stairs to grab it from my room. On my way out the door I banged some buttons on the intercom attached to the wall and put enough power in my voice to let the Ghouls know that I wasn’t screwing around. 

“"Attention! Attention! Nils is dead!" That means all of you better get your asses up to this house immediately. It’s time to have a little talk with Jesus. And when I say all of you, I mean. All. Of. You.”   

Feeling better than I had in weeks, I bounced down the stairs and went back to the library to continue my cleaning duties. I threw binders in my bag and carefully climbed to the top of the ladder, trying my hardest not to look down. I might be tall but that doesn’t mean I like heights. Since I was expecting my Ghoulish buddies I was prepared for the footsteps that sounded across the hardwood floor below me. 

I clucked approvingly. “It’s about time ya’ll decided to show up. I know you don’t want to give away family secrets but the cat’s kind of out of the bag now.” 

No one responded to my comment and I chalked it up to their unwillingness to discuss demons, ghouls, and Papas. That is, until I felt the ladder shudder under the weight of another person. Glancing down I found Omega’s sturdy self making his way to where I perched at the top, a binder tucked securely under one arm.

“What do you think you’re doing?” If he knocked me off this ladder my ghost was going to be haunting him a lot sooner than we both expected.

“Why, I’m helping you clean up. While we wait for the others to get here, of course.” I could hear the shit-eating grin that had to be splashed across his face in his voice as he continued his assent.

I placed my last binder on the shelf in front of me and allowed the bag to drop down to the floor. Before I could react, he was suddenly behind me on the ladder, pressing as much of his body in to mine as he could while he put the binder he carried away. “Does this actually work on real women, or is it your brothers who like it when you practice on each other?” His chest vibrated with his amusement and I carefully turned myself so I was facing him, my hands coming up to his shoulders to steady myself. 

“I’m going to enjoy giving that mouth of yours something to do other than hurling insults.” 

Hoo boy. 

I’m not going to lie, that had my toes curling in my shoes, but we had bigger fish to fry. What was it about dire situations that had everyone crawling in each other’s pants? I forced the tension from my muscles and allowed a lazy smile to stretch my lips. “I know this is the part in the story where we have kinky library ladder sex but,” I looked down and let my fear of heights show plainly, “I’d rather not. Catch me around one of those tables and all bets are off though.” 

Omega hastily backed down a few rungs before looking up at me, suspicion evident in his gaze. “I don’t trust you. That was almost too easy.” I let out an exaggerated huff. “You know, nothing is keeping me from kicking you off this ladder.” To prove my point I moved my knee up to his chest, an easy feat now that he stood lower than me.

He brushed my threat away with a wave of his hand.

“You won’t do it. You like me now.”

“Says who?”

“You asked me to stay last night.”

“I blame the blood loss.”

“I’ll show you what’s under the mask.”

I gasped. “That is blackmail! Sexual blackmail.”

“No, it’s foreplay.”

“I thought this was supposed to be foreplay.”

He sighed. “Don’t you ever get tired of being sarcastic?”

“Nope. Besides, it’s you who doesn’t like me.”

“Says who?”

“Says me. You avoided me the entire time I was here doing research.”

“Because I was trying to save the world!”

“Oh exaggerate much? What a crap excu-”

A very loud cough sounded from near the door of the library. “Are you two going to finish any time soon or shall we just catch you at the wedding?” Earth tapped his foot impatiently on the floor and checked an invisible watch for the time. The rest of the Ghouls stood next to him, all eyes trained on Omega and I. Color flooded my cheeks and we shot down the ladder to join the rest of the group.


	17. Up a shit creek

“All right you deceitful lot - it’s time to start telling the truth. That slimy demon dug around in my brain specifically to screw with you so I think it’s earned me a few answers.” I glared at the five of them, all of us seated at one of the library tables, as if daring one to tell me to take a long walk off a short pier. “First we’ll start with what I need to know. Alpha, were you home when that Wendigo confronted you? Or in the States?”

His reply came speedily enough but it was muffled due to his face-down position on the floor. Apparently hangovers hit ghouls as hard as they hit humans. I glanced expectantly at the others, waiting patiently for someone to translate his garbled words. “He was home. It happened not far from his parents’ place.” Water offered helpfully.

That confirmed my theory then. “I know Papa accused the demons of lacking foresight but if there was a Wendigo in Sweden then I think this entire mess was planned far more in advance than we believe.” Since their expressions were lost to me, the ensuing silence was the only way I could tell they were confused by my statement. I went on. “Wendigos are, as far as I know, confined to the States and Canada. If a creature from Native American lore shows up halfway across the world I’m betting it’s not happening naturally. Logic would dictate Belial stuck the Wendigo directly in your path in an effort to get to you. Or more specifically, to Papa.”

I took a deep breath and steeled myself for protests over what I needed to say next. “This means Papa is well endowed in the magical and mystical department, more so than even the Keepers thought. You _have_ to tell me what he is if we’re going to figure out what kind of deal was made between him and the demon.”

Instead of cries of outrage and table flipping, I was simply met with more silence. I would not hesitate to force them to sit here all day if it meant getting the information I needed and allowed the quiet to stretch in to several endless minutes. 

Air finally cleared his throat and said, “He is one of the Fallen.”

“One of the Fallen? As in, a Fallen Angel?” I remembered what the demon had called Papa when speaking to him: Angel, flung at him like a curse. “If he’s a Fallen Angel, doesn’t that actually make him a demon?” 

The uneasiness in Air’s eyes was unsettling to see. The man had been a statue for most of the time I’d been in his presence so I figured whatever he was about reveal was a serious breach of trust. Too bad we didn’t have the luxury of time and finesse to get the information out of Papa himself. It would have been nice if the man had deemed it necessary to show up to this meeting but according to the others he made a rather hasty exit immediately after my exorcism. Convenient.  

Apparently Air knew we were out of time as well because he actually gave me a straight answer. “No. The Fallen are not thrown straight in to the Pit anymore, unless they have committed the worst of all sins. Emeritus the First no longer wanted his Angelic duties. He wished to live on Earth and see humanity through an unclouded lens. He found Heaven too...confining for his rebellious spirit.” 

Omega barked out a laugh and added, “Papa I was a groovy old bastard. He was the one who came to us to start the band. I would have never expected an _Angel_ to want to be in a band, let alone one with a Satanic theme.” A hand flashed up next to the table, throwing horns – Alpha’s only contribution to the story. 

“So each Papa is a different Angel?” I asked. This was going to get very complicated very fast. 

“Ah, you skip ahead in the tale.” Air admonished my inquiry. “I am sure you are aware of the show, _Supernatural_?” I nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, well, they have managed to get one aspect of Angels correct – they need a body to house their essence and they need permission to the use the body.” Air paused and looked to Omega, as if to tag him in for the next part.

Omega took up where Air stopped. “Alpha and I had been in other bands with a good friend of ours for a few years before Papa I showed up. He wanted our friend’s permission to use him and his talent to see how far we could take Ghost. Our friend was quite keen on the idea and readily agreed. It didn’t hurt that Papa I was unexpectedly mellow and he often allowed our friend breaks to work on other projects as himself. At least he did, until he explained to us he had a brother who wanted a turn as our fearless leader. He said if our friend accepted another Fallen than his own personality would begin to disappear.”

Considering they were now on Papa III, it wasn’t hard to deduce which option their friend had gone with. “What happened to Papa I when Papa II came to clean house?”

Air resumed the story at this point. “When one Fallen wishes to use the same body as another, they absorb the powers and personality of the first Fallen. They take all of their memories as well, and create a hybrid of the two Angels. It is why the human personality is lost at that point. There is not enough space left for them to exist.”

My brain cycled through what they were saying and I struggled to fit all the pieces of the puzzle neatly together. “If the Angels are Fallen then why do they still have powers? Aren’t they supposed to be suffering from their punishment?” I mused aloud.

“They are stripped of many of their powers when they are cast out but it is safer for the population of Earth if they retain some abilities. Angels are used to living a certain lifestyle and the Powers that Be did want them taking out their frustrations on humans.”

“The Powers that Be? You mean, like, God?” Hell and demons I had no problem believing in because evil seemed far more likely to walk the Earth than not. It felt like bad things have always just…been there. But Heaven? God? Religion and I weren’t the best of pals on good day and a tendril of fear wormed its way in to my heart at the thought of God being real. It was one thing for God to exist, but I fancy the idea there are multiple gods inhabiting the world. What if I was wrong? 

“Eh.” It was the most inelegant thing I’d ever heard Air say.

“Eh? What does that mean?” There was no way I was backing away from this conversation now.

He shrugged in his graceful manner. “God is now similar to British royalty. They remain visible but have lost much of their power. They are there because humans seem to fixate on their traditions and are unable to let them go, even when they no longer attribute such significance to them. 

A hush fell over the table after that declaration and I contemplated everything we had conversed about so far. Gradually it all came together in my head. “So, what you’re saying is Papa III is currently hoarding the powers of THREE Fallen Angels? And let me guess: demons can tap in to and merge with the Fallen as well?”

Air thought for a moment before responding. “Technically yes. They would need permission to absorb the power and use the body as well but it is possible. Especially if the personality of the mortal host has been overtaken by the Angels." 

The tension in the room cranked up a few notches as we all considered the implications of such a union. 

“What do you want to bet,” I said tentatively, “that Papa told Belial he would give himself over to Belial in exchange for your Ghoul powers, and the protection they bring? And planned to deceive the demon from the start?” 

Even Alpha sat up then.


	18. This is a damn long story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh this is the last fully finished chapter I have written. Half of the next chapter is done but after that I'm flying blind - zoinks! I should be writing more but the release of Square Hammer got me all fangirl-ed out. The release of the EP and the start of the tour might freaking kill me *hysterical weeping* *attaches self to Omega's leg* I get to see them twice in October (Vegas, Phoenix) and that'll kill me again. I love this band so damn much. 
> 
> Anyways...ha, the title of this chapter is no lie. It's gotten far longer than I expected! I think I see the end in sight but I need to learn how to write proper action scenes :)

"Please tell me someone here can find out where Papa currently is?”

All eyes landed on Omega. Clearing his throat, he said, “I can mentally link with him the way I can with everyone else here, but it doesn’t work when one person is outside of the house boundaries. The wards block communication.” “But not porting?” I wondered aloud.

“It’s a power we all share, so the wards are adjusted to let us pass freely. The mental communication has to be initiated by me alone so Papa thought it best to keep us secure from outside influence.” He paused for a moment. “The possession demon that rode in here with you slipped in to your brain before you came on the grounds and that is something we’re definitely going to need to fix.”

“Well then, we’ll just have to go outside of the wards’ influence so you can call him back here.”

Water’s voice held a note of puzzlement when he spoke after my declaration. “Uh, why exactly do we need him around? He’s more powerful than all of us combined and can probably take care of himself.”

The truthful answer here was that I’d feel better knowing where the tricky little beast was at all times. He had gotten his friends, no – _family_ , in quite a predicament even if his intentions were well meaning. However, saying so would make me sound heartless and if we were all going to come out of this mostly unscathed then I needed them to trust me.

Instead I replied, “I know but I mean, wouldn’t you feel better knowing he’s safer under the protection the house provides? Plus, he can tell us his end game. I have no doubt that he knows exactly what he needs to do to keep Belial from taking over his powers. What I said to Alpha yesterday still stands – Papa’s actions were of his own free will but that doesn’t mean he has to shoulder the consequences alone.”

The others nodded, albeit haltingly. Good. They didn’t need to be 100% on my side, just enough so we could get Papa to let us help him.

I poked Omega in the back of the head. “All right, E.T. Go phone home and call your angel back here. I’m assuming simply stepping off the property will allow enough clearance from the wards so you can ring him?”

He considered the question, his head cocked thoughtfully to one side. “I think so. I’ve never really been restricted this way before. I could just port to a location in town to do it.”

I was shaking my head before he’d even finished his sentence. “Absolutely not. We don’t know what kind of traps this thing has set up for you. Let’s just assume Belial has been watching and learning your routine for far longer than you realize. He probably knows your favorite hang-out spots, where your families live, even where you like to buy toilet paper.” I gestured to myself. “He managed to sneak me in here, _Exorcist_ style, when affecting this place would have been otherwise impossible for him. I don’t want to tempt fate quite yet.” 

I was well aware I had no real power over a group of grown Man-Ghouls but maybe they would listen to solid reasoning. Reckless behavior wasn’t going to get us any closer to zapping Belial back to hell. “I suggest we all have a late lunch and then start combing through some of these fancy books.” I waved a hand to the covered walls. “One of them has to describe some way to get rid of demons, either permanently or for a couple centuries at least.”

Leaving the library the majority of us headed for the kitchen and much needed food, while Omega exited out the front door in search of the spot where the property line ended at the main road. Hopefully he would return with Papa and we wouldn’t have to waste time hunting for a solution; surely Papa wasn’t the sort of creature to play with the lives of those who accepted him without hesitation? 

Chatter and the typical kitchen noises surrounded me, enticing me to forget the trouble we faced in the future…which lasted for all of five minutes. I heard the front door open and close again and Omega’s tall form filled the doorway, his body language telling us immediately something was out of sorts.

“You all better come see this. It’s…just come see.” He didn’t wait around to confirm if we were following but turned and marched back out the door. We trailed behind his swiftly moving backside and crossed the circular driveway to pass through the border of trees which lined the property. Spilling out onto a narrow stretch of grass that still counted as part of their yard, we were confronted with an ugly sight: positioned at the edge of the property like a wall, with nary a square inch of room to spare between them, were people. Their clothes were untorn and their skin radiated health, yet no expression adorned their faces and they stood unnaturally motionless. The mass of bodies extended all the way down the road to the property’s edge in both directions. The lot was extremely large so it was impossible to tell from here if more people pressed against the wards on all sides.

I wanted to say something but for once in my life I struck quite speechless. Air was the first to act, blinking out of existence and reappearing a moment or two later. “They surround us. It appears as though they are local townspeople but I cannot be entirely certain.”

“They don’t look like they’re dangerous.” Water said as he stretched out a hand towards the nearest person, a hand that was promptly smacked hard by Earth with a sizable tree branch he had stooped down to grab.

“Don’t be stupid. They wouldn’t be herding us in here if they were friendly.” He said. He used the tree branch to poke the woman Water had tried to reach for and we were presented with another unpleasant surprise. The stick had barely grazed the skin of the young, pretty blonde when her serene face contorted in to a mask of sheer inhuman fury. With a strangled cry, she launched her body at the barricade the wards formed and began clawing her bright green nails in to the air. The sudden movement triggered the others around her and abruptly our ears were assaulted by the hissing rage of what once had been relatively peaceful human beings. 

I scrambled backwards away from the snarling, growling horde and watched with trepidation as they tried their level best to break through to our side. I threw a nervous glance to the Ghouls and tried to keep the shaking of my voice to a minimum when I said, “They can’t get in here, can they?”

“Let’s fucking hope they can’t.” Alpha muttered, more as an aside to himself than to me. We cut back through the tree border, thinking perhaps if the angry zombie-wannabes couldn’t see us they might calm down a bit.

“This really puts a damper on our attempt to talk to Papa. I’m going to have to port somewhere to do it now.” Though his voice was steady, Omega's eyes reflected a bit of worry I would have otherwise missed if I hadn't been training myself to read him and the others. It was a monumentally unwise idea, especially now when we were seeing exactly how powerful our demonic pursuer was, but he was right. Somebody leaving was the only option left.

“It’ll have to be somewhere you don’t normally go. Traps.” I reminded him.

“The town’s pretty empty right now, since everyone is here trying to eat our faces. Maybe one of the churches would be a good spot?” Water offered. It was a decent suggestion but not feasible. “A church is almost too obvious, don’t you think? Especially since Belial knows the all the buildings will be deserted.” 

Losing ourselves in thought, we walked back to the house and parked ourselves back in the library.

My face twisted with annoyance. “Don’t you guys have any more bolt holes, protected places you can go if things get too hot?” Alpha looked at me like I’d suddenly sprouted horns and a tail. “Things don’t get “too hot” for us.” He said. “We’re just a band.”

“Alpha,” I made sure his eyes met mine as I spoke, “after only spending what, a week and half? with you has made me aware you definitely are all more than “just a band”.”

We fell back in to our Winnie the Pooh "think think think" mode, and right when I was beginning to believe we might need a Plan B, Air raised a finger to get our attention. “Ellie, what about your Headquarters? It is empty, is it not?”

I considered it as an option. Belial _might_ leave the areas he targeted already alone: my apartment, The Clubhouse, and HQ. My apartment was out because humans are sentimental and the demon was probably betting I would go back at some point. The Clubhouse was a random enough spot but police and work crews would be crawling all over the rubble trying to clean it up and possibly rebuild. Belial's messenger _did_ spend an entire week playing peeping tom and if it relayed information back to its master then it knew I hadn’t contacted James or any Keepers while I stayed with the Ghouls. HQ should be totally empty and had to have some warding and protections if it survived the blast, which could be helpful if we were ambushed.

I whooshed out a breath. “HQ it is then.”


	19. Dick Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm finally done crying. Omega's absence hit me much harder than even I thought it would. Yes, I am one of those fans who is taking this badly. The only thing keeping me going is believing he'll be back for the next album and tour and THEN I'll get to stand on his side of the stage and scream like a moron. His leaving did take a little of my joy out of writing this story but I'm doing my best to not let it affect anything. I should probably get a real life someday :P though that won't happen now that I've made a tumblr blog? page? I have no idea how to use it properly but the Ghost pictures are A+.
> 
> Also - Water is still Water and the new Ghuleh is Mist to me. I hope people come around and accept her eventually, even if she might be temporary. I vote we keep her and bring Omega back. You can never have too many Ghouls.

The complete absence of sound that met us in the main hall when we popped out of the portal was wildly unsettling. Usually the place was teeming with life, and action, and people trying to navigate a situation they’d never fully be able to share with the outside world. We are a tight-knit community, because at the end of the day we only have each other. In a way I’m lucky my family lives across the country and I’m not terribly close with them. I don’t have to make awkward fake conversation about my job and who I socialize with. My co-workers became my family, and in all the excitement of the past couple weeks I sort of…forgot about them. It wasn’t until we stepped in to that overwhelming emptiness that I discovered just how much I missed my friends, so much so it was like a punch to the gut. The portal snapped shut behind us (something unique to only Omega I found out), jarring me out of my melancholy. Wanting to see if James was still lurking about in his office, I started in that direction when Omega broke the silence.

“Where are you going?” There was a mountain of impatience in his voice but it didn’t stop my movement. He’d wasted precious time arguing with me about my coming with him on this errand, the foolish Ghoul. I let him believe he won and then simply walked through his portal first before he could stop me.

“I’m checking to see if my boss is here. He might be willing to lend a hand if everything isn’t hideously out of sorts. And you should be trying to contact Papa, not worrying about me.”

“Wasn’t it you who was squawking about traps not 10 minutes ago? Going deeper in to the building will probably set something off.”

“I’m sorry, did you just use the word “squawk” to describe the way I speak?”

He coughed delicately. “Maybe. I just meant you need to be careful. And I _am_ trying to contact Papa, but I can’t seem to get through to him. It feels like he’s being blocked somehow.”

I snorted. “Nice save.”

Lilting laughter echoed off the walls around us, stopping our banter dead in its tracks. “Emeritus told me his friends have a good sense of humor.”

Omega and I froze in place, only our eyes darting around the room in an attempt to find the owner of that voice. Though not even our breathing stirred the air, I slowly inched my way back to stand beside Omega. Being prideful and independent in this instance would not make me intelligent - only dead.

“Please,” I muttered out the side of my mouth, “tell me you can throw your voice and just did that.”

I received no response, however. He was too busy positioning himself so we stood back to back, me facing the stairs and him covering the rest of the open workspace. His nails had extended in to those deadly sharp claws I had hoped never to witness again and I figured his teeth had elongated as well, though I couldn’t be sure how much damage he could do with his mask still fully in place.

A familiar rustling noise had me tensing from the memories it triggered: Papa and that cold, snowy Swedish road where he protected Alpha, Papa speaking to me in the library about staying with the Ghouls. My eyes flicked up to the ceiling but my view of the tarp covering damage done in the blast was blocked…by _wings_.

Spanning at least eleven feet, they appeared to be a soft emerald shade of green that shimmered with unmuted brilliance as they descended down to us. Landing with his back to Omega, I realized emerald was only one of the colors painting those velvety looking feathers. Pristine white and inky black danced and battled fiercely with the green, each vying for dominance on an already powerful canvas. My brain stuttered around the impossibility of such a sight. The human form was too bulky, too awkward for wings of this magnitude. We’d have to be much taller to allow sizable wings room to close and not drag on the ground, but standing before us was an exception to the rule.

The man attached to such striking wings was their equal in beauty. I poked my head around Omega’s back and fought he urge to check my chin for drool. Clad only in faded jeans and worn brown boots, with hair darker than midnight (so like, 3am?) streaming down over his bare shoulders and a sword at his waist, he looked like one of those guys modeling for romance novel covers (the kind you laugh at, not the ones you buy in secret).

Oddly enough, he didn’t exude confidence like those who were slap-you-upside-the-head attractive and knew it. Our strange visitor stood as though uncomfortable with being in our presence and his eyes (the same silver as Papa’s) would only meet mine in short bursts. He didn’t do anything so pedestrian as fidget but tension hummed around him so intensely I wouldn’t have been surprised to find him vibrating from it.

Vibrating. Hmmm.

I snickered internally at my own dirty joke but my mirth was cut short when a hand covered my eyes. Before I could protest, Omega’s voice filled my head. “You’re projecting your thoughts. Loudly.”

Though the situation called for maturity I couldn’t help but grin cheekily at the clipped tone to his speech. “Don’t worry babe.” I thought back to him, “I’m sure we can figure out a way to vibrate you too.”

Another mellow laugh escaped from our guest. “You both project your thoughts loudly.” The hand over my eyes left abruptly and now it was I who found it hard to meet those iridescent eyes as I hastily reconstructed a mental fortress around my wayward thoughts.

“Care to tell us who you are?” Omega was all business now. Sensing our concentrated scrutiny was over, the creature before us seemed to relax at the prospect of getting down to business.

“I am Anuriel. Emeritus was my brother before he fell. Once he is finished with his time on Earth, I will be the new Papa.”

Omega didn’t even so much as twitch at this declaration, but my very audible gasp came out before I could stop it. I studied Anuriel again, assessing him this time for any hint of devious, delightful perversion that made Papa so alluring. A wickedness did color the angel’s physical features but there was a solemnness to him that made even Water seem downright Type A. I couldn’t see Papa anywhere in this man.

My partner in crime gave no indication he wished to speak about anti-papal successions and kept the conversation moving where we needed to go. “How did you know to find us here?”

“Emeritus. Before he was captured he managed to relay a message to me and gave me a way to track you.”

“Captured?!” I really never would make a good poker player. “How? He’s an angel!”

Anuriel corrected me. “A fallen one. He knew he could keep Belial at bay for only so long, and as I am his most trusted brother he reached out to me so I could help you.”

Almost imperceptibly, I felt Omega shift in surprise. I knew those words would sting as though the angel had struck him with the sword at his hip.

_Most trusted brother_.

The world was aware how close Omega and Papa were.

_Most trusted brother_.

Those three words would incapacitate the Ghoul next to me in a way nothing else could.

_Most trusted brother._

Those three words destroyed any possible good will I might feel towards our future Papa. A wrongness clung to his humble-brag and I felt suspicion roar through me like a storm.

Anuriel continued as though nothing was amiss. “Emeritus says the only way to rid yourselves of Belial is to open a special portal and send him through it, locking him away in the underworld until another foolish mortal or angel summons him again. The portal can only be opened in an ancient Druidic place of power, ruins, near your shared home. He says your Air Ghoul will know where to go and how to access the portal.”

Now it was his turn to assess us with a frankness that had me squirming under his unwavering gaze.

“I do not think I need to warn you this reeks of deception.”

Gee, thanks Captain Obvious.

“You’re not going to help us? Even though Papa is your brother?” I meant it to be a snide remark but restrained myself at the last second.

“I will be Fallen one day but Emeritus isn’t ready to give up his position. If I help one of the Fallen then I too will fall, but there won’t be a place for me yet. I’m only allowed to give you his message. I hope you succeed in this mission – I would hate very much to lose my family.”

With those parting words, he unfurled those ridiculously ostentatious wings and launched himself at the opening in the ceiling he had entered through. 

After a few moments has passed I stepped around Omega to face him. 

“Well. That guy was a dick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anuriel is a name from Skyrim: I'm not name-creative hahaha


	20. Next time on Oprah: why Air Ghoul owns a didgeridoo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for mixing demon lore and bible stories in this chapter. There are too many theories, classifications, and versions for me to stay true to and still have the story I want. Wikipedia tells me in The Satanic Bible Belial represents independence and self-sufficiency - hence the reason why I made him the antagonist in a story where men are bargaining for powers to keep themselves safe, but in other books and stories Belial stands for something else. 
> 
> Perhaps someday I'll educate myself, just not when I have to wake up at 5am for work the next day :P

Omega wouldn’t look at me. Instead, he stared so forcefully at something just over my left shoulder that it made the spot between my shoulder blades twitch like mad. Anuriel must have really rattled his brain. 

“We’re not actually going to listen to anything Mr. Douchecanoe said, right?” Maybe if I asked enough questions I could shake him out of his intense funk.  “Everything he told us was just a little too…” I broke off there, throwing my arms up over my head and gesturing a little wildly.

“Too what?” He finally brought his eyes back to mine and internally I sighed with relief. So dramatic, these men were. “Too…perfect.” I pitched my voice lower. “ _Oh hey, I’m Papa’s brother and coincidentally your new Papa. I just happened to randomly find you and give you this all important info you need to beat the bad guy. Dur dur dur_.” I grunted in disgust. “Bah. I believed him until the end of his little speech. There was a lot of arrogance in his words, but when he first landed he seemed almost meek. I don’t like it.”

Omega stood there considering my theory. “I don’t like it either,” He said at last, “but we don’t really have other leads to follow. Best case scenario he’s trying to help; worst case scenario is it’s a trap. Either way we find Papa, which takes priority. We’ll just have to prepare for both situations.”

He looked at me strangely then. “Why aren’t you a real Keeper? Like, out in the field?”

I laughed and moved closer to him, tugging on the sleeve of his suit. “Because if Anuriel had started flinging heavenly powers at us I’d be deader than a doornail. Watching a lot of _CSI_ and reading isn’t going to save my ass from a fireball.” Going up on tiptoe I placed a kiss on the cool metal cheek of his mask. “Now let’s go find Air and see what he can tell us.”

* * *

Everyone was waiting in the kitchen when we got back to what I was starting to think of as home. Omega relayed the story to his bandmates and asked for their opinion on what they should do.

Water shook his head. “No. Absolutely not. We need to find Papa another way. We don’t know he hasn’t just fucked off to some beach in Mexico until it all blows over.”

“We don’t have any reason not to trust this Anuriel dude, though.” Alpha’s turn to speak. “Like Omega said, either way we find out for sure where Papa is.”

“And if we get killed in the process? I’m with Water on this one – we leave well enough alone until we figure out a better plan.” Earth siding with Water left the vote for action 2 against 2.

All heads turned to Air.

Omega asked what we all wanted to know. “So what about this Druid place? Is it real, or something we’ll get played by?”

Air was extremely quiet. We probably should have started out with him first to save on fighting. Finally, he gave us an answer. “I know of what Anuriel speaks. It is a space not terribly far from here. I suspect Emeritus knew this when selecting the land on which to build this abode.” Though he was responding, I got the distinct feeling he was stalling. Whatever he was hiding had to be bad.

“The portal used to ensnare demonic creatures can only be opened at certain times in the year. We will have to wait until tomorrow night if we decide to move on the words of the angel. Emeritus is unavailable to me as well, so I am inclined to believe something or someone keeps him from us.” He rose from the table. “Come to me with your decision once you make it.”

He left us all staring uneasily after him. Why wouldn’t he tell us what _he_ wanted to do as well?

Earth was the first to swing his head away from Air’s retreat. “Looks like you’re the tiebreaker, Ellie.”

“Ha. Ha. Yeah, no I don’t think so. He’s your Papa – I can’t interfere with that.” But the more I protested, the more they began to insist. It was nearly 11pm before I caved and gave the final vote. “We go. We’ll just have to prepare for anything.” I slid off a bar stool and stretched. “I’ll go tell Air what’s going on. You guys should try to get as much sleep as possible.”

I did not have good feeling about what we might walk in to, but I left those words unspoken. Our moods were dour enough without adding more negativity on top of the pile.

Heading out the front door, I found the path that was meant to guide visitors to the cabins the Ghouls preferred over the main house. Too late I realized I did not know which one belonged to the mysterious keyboardist, so taking a left when I came across a fork in the path was pure guesswork. I left the manicured lawns and entered the surrounding woods. It was “hear a pin drop” silent but not in a creepy way. I could see why the guys favored living out here instead of near the main road – it felt like you could walk forever and not run in to another living soul.

I eventually happened upon…well, it wasn’t a quite a cabin but more like a cottage. Made from a mix of wood, brick, and stone it looked exactly like something out of a fairytale. Three steps led to a wide front porch and an ornate dark green door. Two apple trees framed the sides of the cottage, and a rather large vegetable garden wound its way down the right side to tumble over in to the backyard. I could see a light burning in the upstairs window and I was grateful I didn’t have to trudge all over god’s green earth to speak with my quarry. 

I trotted up the steps and as I raised my hand to knock, the door swung open.

Surrounded by such dainty architectural details, Air seemed even taller than I knew him to be. “Come in.”

I moved past the threshold and entered the living room, much of which was dominated by a massive grand piano. Air disappeared in to another room but I was too busy staring to follow him. The furnishings (a couple chairs and a small loveseat) were arranged around a wood burning fireplace but I couldn’t spot a television anywhere. Near the piano sat a variety of instruments: keytar, a few guitars, some oddly shaped contraptions that I didn’t even know what they were, and what looked suspiciously like a didgeridoo.

I figured Air for a minimalist, and while he didn’t have a lot of stuff in the room the arrangement forced you to twist and turn so you wouldn’t bump in to anything.

As I finished my perusal of his personal space, Air came back in with two steaming cups and gestured at the sitting area. I took a mug from him, parking myself in a chair and waited for him to do the same. I sniffed at the contents of the mug and to my delight discovered he’d given me hot apple cider. I was willing to bet my car he made it himself too.

Air tilted his mask a bit so he could drink without interference and acknowledged why I had come. “I take it the others made their decision?”

I sat my cider on the coffee table to let it cool and nodded. “We’re going tomorrow night. It’s the only way we’ll know for certain if something happened to Papa.” I considered him for a moment, and then continued. “Why didn’t you give your opinion? They made me break the tie.”

His eyes were grave as they stared in to mine. “I have already assisted with this matter far beyond what I should have. My opinion and my knowledge are no longer relevant. Whatever fighting is left will be taken on by the rest of you.”

I gaped at him. Surely he couldn’t be serious! “There’s something you’re not telling us, isn’t there? Another missing piece to the puzzle?”

Air stared out a window overlooking his garden for a long moment. I took long sips of my cider to give myself something to do while I waited for his response.

“Do you,” his deep voice startling me, “know the story of the Garden of Eden?”

“Yes.” I said. “With Adam and Eve, and the snake and apple?” He didn’t confirm the details I offered and continued to stare out the window.

“Many people today believe the snake was Satan in disguise, but it wasn’t. It was just an intelligent creature, forced to the bidding of others who were more interested in amusing themselves than anything else. The snake was left ruined after the world learned about what transpired in the Garden, and it took him many years to figure out how to survive in such a cruel world.”

I had no idea where this story was going but I had a feeling it would be important. Air didn’t speak unless he had to.

“The snake evolved over time and found himself transformed. Lucifer and his demonic brothers continued to make plans for him and granted him the shape of a human. As a man he was still required to attend to the needs of the demons, but as a human he found far more freedom than he ever did as a snake. The centuries passed and the man found himself no longer fulfilling every whim of Mammon, Belial, or Asmodeus.”

He stopped suddenly and pushed his way up from the chair to position himself next to the piano.

“Now the demons take no notice of their once “loyal” creature. He is allowed to pursue his own desires and passions. ”

I had turned in my chair to watch him as he finished his tale but I didn’t get up yet. “You can’t go up against Belial tomorrow because you’re afraid he’ll remember you were once the snake.” I said quietly. It wasn’t a question but he answered me anyways.

“Indeed. Lucifer deems it necessary to wipe some of my memories every so often to keep me sane, but his intentions are not nefarious.” Air paused. “Do you think me cowardly?”

I placed my now empty cup on the table and stood, making my way to the door. With my hand on the doorknob I turned to him again with my reply. “No. I think you do what you need to protect yourself.” I chuckled softly. “You’re all so similar. It must be why this band works as well as it does.” I twisted the knob to let myself out but Air spoke once more.

“Ellie.” His voice was cautious. “Do not under estimate Belial. I do not know who Anuriel is but I am certain he is not kin to Emeritus.”

I let myself out in to rapidly cooling night and began the long walk back to the house.  


	21. Avert your eyes, unless you're into that kind of thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had plenty of time to write this week, seeing as how my dumb ass fell down some stairs at a haunted house and I got to stay home from work for a few days. Such a graceful creature, I am.  
> Anyways, and without further ado - I give you all smut. I debated this whole time whether or not to add it but I finally found just the right spot for it. Muaha. It probably needs better editing but I need to be awake in 4 hours so it'll have to wait.   
> If NSFW smutty smut-smut isn't your bag, just turn back now. Go listen to Tid's new album Fix idé, because it's so gorgeous is hurts my heart. I don't know what's in Swedish water to make their musicians so damn talented but I'm pretty sure the whole country should just file a restraining order against me.

I had only gone a few feet when I called out, “All right. How much of that did you hear?”

A familiar form stepped out on the path directly behind me, astonishment in his eyes.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t look so surprised – the moonlight hit your mask when you were skulking around on Air’s porch. I’m sure he saw you too, by the way.”

Omega recovered enough to let out his own embarrassed laugh. “I already knew his super secret superhero identity.” He linked his arm through mine and we resumed walking along the narrow dirt trail. “You get enough liquor in Papa and he’ll spill the secrets of the universe if you want him to. Apparently angels are lightweights.”

“Air won’t be upset will he? I got the impression he doesn’t want anyone knowing.” I couldn’t help but worry. Omega reassured me. “Somehow I’m betting he knows Papa is a blabbermouth. You don’t live that long and not learn to read people. Air knows his past will never change what we think of him now. He’s an odd guy, but he’s a good one too.”

I leaned my head against his shoulder as he laced our fingers together. "You're not mad he won't help you tomorrow night?"

"Nah. Don't get me wrong – we need all the extra help we can get considering who the players in the game are, but I'm not going to help anyone re-enslave a friend. The others probably won't understand but I'll let Air handle it. He's a big boy."

We walked on in comfortable silence until we exited the woods and were back on the manicured lawns of the house.

I stopped at the fork in the path and extricated my arm from Omega's. "This is my stop, unless you're sleeping in the house tonight too?" It came out a little more breathless than I had planned.

He looked down at me for what felt like an eternity, those electric blue eyes hidden by his mask and the darkness of the night. Finally, his hand encircled my wrist gently and placed two fingers at the pulse point where I knew he could feel heart beat thunderously.

"No." He said softly. "I'm not planning on staying at the house." His hand gripped my wrist more tightly and he pulled me closer so he could whisper in my ear. "And I don't think you are either."

Before I could even draw in a shaky breath there was a sharp *snap* of sound and suddenly we were standing inside a spacious two room cabin. Omega reached out to grip my hips with both hands but I danced backwards. "Ah ah ah. Not until you tell me how you did that."

Another *snap* rent the air and flame burst to life in the fireplace. "I can do lots of things. We all can, but we don't tend to advertise it. Keeps people on their toes."

His words had me grinning fiercely. “Hmmmm, that remains to be seen.” I teased. I had no trouble discerning the determined glint in his eyes now that we were inside, and I quickly put a small dining table between us as he advanced on me.

“I’m going to need a proper demonstration of those fancy powers, my dear Omega. I can’t just give it up to any old ghoul.” I laughed delightedly when the overhead lights flickered out, leaving the room illuminated only by firelight. “On second thought,” I fought back another giggle, “we probably shouldn’t be doing this. Poor Papa is out there all by his lonesome and here we are playing slap and tickle.”

Omega paused mid-stride at my comment. Before I could reassure him, he simply disappeared. I took an alarmed step back…directly in to a very solid, warm chest. One strong arm snaked its way around my waist but he kept our bodies parted as he growled. “Fuck Papa.”

That growl sending shivers up my spine, I threw out another sarcastic remark to try and regain some of my composure. “If you want to invite him, go right ahead. I can wait.”

A hand slid beneath my shirt and fingers splayed over my heated skin, enough for me to feel just a hint of those brilliantly deadly nails. “I warned you about that mouth.”

With my self-control rapidly crumbling, I whirled and placed a halting hand on his chest. “Omega.” It took me a few tries to get his name out but I made sure when it did it was forceful enough to get his attention. “Take the mask off. Please.”

He was silent for a moment. “I don’t look human.”

Those words had my heart melting in to a disgusting pile of mush. I gripped an edge of the mask and pulled lightly. “I wouldn’t be here if that mattered.”

He stared at me for another second and let out a pent up breath. He turned away, yanking the mask off as he went and placed it on the table. I tugged him back to face me, to see what all the fuss was about.

He was right – he certainly didn’t look human. A small pair of horns peaked out of his hair (probably the reason for the latest mask design), the light from the fire casting shadows in their shape over his heavy brow and pointed nose.  His mesmerizing eyes were deep-set and slightly tilted at the corners; not even his prominent cheekbones could take away from the humor and kindness in those eyes. His pointy ears made me smile. No, he didn’t look human but he was still mine. “If the others are half as handsome as you are, you all should really thank Belial before you kick his ass.”

Omega rolled his eyes but I could see the tension easing from his shoulders. He pressed his hand against my stomach again and gently guided me backwards until the back of the couch met my butt. I gripped the soft fabric like a lifeline as his wandering fingers played with the waistband of my jeans.

“Has anyone…” He began his next sentence by untangling the heavy chain I used as belt from its loops.

“…ever…”

He let the chain drop to the floor with a heavy clatter.

“…told…”

He slipped one button free.

“…you…”

Another button.

“…that you…”

Down went the zipper.

I couldn’t control the trembling in my limbs as his hand gathered the silky fabric of the scrap of underwear I threw on that morning in his grasp.

“… _talk_ …” As he said the word he jerked the fabric upwards, allowing it to rub my clit for the briefest of seconds before tearing it completely away from my body.

“…too much?”

I cried out in arousal and surprise, my knees damn near giving way at the excitement of what was to come. And he hadn’t even kissed me yet.

“You have protection, right?” I panted.

He shook his head. “Ghouls can't have children.”

I glared at him. “Considering who made you Ghouls, I don’t have a lot of faith in that statement.” I glanced around, thinking. “I didn’t bring any with me, never thought there’d be a reason to. Dammit!” I smiled up sweetly at him. “Can you go get some?”

One of his very large hands came up to cover nearly my whole face. “Stop giving me that look.” Amusement and lust vied for dominance in his voice. “Do you really want Belial to blow me up on a condom run?”

“I bet he’s a nicer guy than we give him credit for. Aren’t demons and princes of hell supposed to encourage sin?” My words came out muffled, still trapped beneath his warm palm. “He won’t whack you at the drugstore.”

Omega drew his hand back and I was relieved to see he was trying not to laugh rather than being angry I had interrupted his ministrations.

He stepped away from my position against the couch and snagged his mask, pulling it in place before zapping himself out of the room. I quickly darted through the dark bedroom to the attached bath and proceeded to fish the rest of my torn panties out of delicate areas. I also buttoned my jeans up – might as well make him work for it, right? By the time I came out he had returned, a rather large red bag sitting on the couch next to him. 

“That looks an awful lot like…” I trailed off as I reached in to the bag. “It is! You went all the way to _Fascinations_? What did you ge-hey, deep throat spray. You know, I had a friend who used this once and said it worked really well.”

I was so engrossed in trying to get the packaging open I didn’t notice Omega had stood up until his shoulder was digging in to my midsection and I was being lifted off the floor. In an instant we were in his bedroom where the red bag went flying on the dresser and I landed with a thump on his king size bed.

Before I could make a move of my own he was laying down next to me, a hand coming rest on my inner thigh. I spread my legs wider to give him better access but he was content to torture me by tracing invisible patterns over my leg, hip, and stomach. It was dark enough so that I felt rather than saw when he dragged a nail through the collar of my shirt, splitting the fabric as he moved ever so slowly to the hemline. Jerking on my jeans and realizing I had fastened them, he let out a truly inhuman growl as he used all of his nails to tear through the waistband, peeling the fabric from my legs carefully so he wouldn’t scratch my skin. 

I sat up to shrug off the tattered remains of my clothing, discarding my bra somewhere in the dark confines of the room before he could destroy it as well. As he climbed properly back on the bed after flinging away my pants I managed to place my hands on his shoulders, pushing him against the headboard of the bed in a sitting position. Crawling in to his lap with my knees resting on either side of his hips, I looped my arms around his neck and dug my fingers in to his hair so I could finally drag his mouth to mine. I don’t know what he’d been doing before he met me at Air’s cottage but he tasted like chocolate and coffee, with just the barest hint of cigarettes and alcohol. His tongue slid across the seam of my lips and I opened them hungrily, allowing our slow easy kiss to become heated and burning in a flash. His large hands skimmed over my bare sides to land on my ass, kneading and pulling roughly while those cold silver rings sent shivers twirling down my spine.

I rolled my hips against his hardening length, still hidden beneath the unforgiving cloth of his suit and we both broke away from our kiss to moan at the contact. Almost a little frantically my fingers found their way to the buttons of his jacket and I silently cursed my lack of strength to rip them right off. His grip on my hips was borderline punishing as he steadied me so he could thrust against my most intimate area, sending my hands flying from his jacket to scramble for purchase on the headboard behind him. Our hips still thrusting together he took advantage of my position to lavish attention on my breasts, lengthening his teeth just enough so that they scraped over my nipples and sent shock waves from my lower abdomen straight to my clit. I was certain he could feel how wet I was through his pants and I abandoned all pretense of trying to be sexy, turning in to a writhing, whimpering mess in his lap.

Kissing me hard once more, he slid out from under me and walked over to where he'd thrown his bag full of goodies. I rolled on to my back (damn tempted to take care of business on my own) when I heard the familiar sound of foil opening and I shuddered hard, knowing the time for teasing was over. The rustling of fabric let me know he'd shed his clothing as well. Without warning fingers skimmed over my calves, gliding up to my thighs to push them apart so I could hide nothing from his gaze. "Please." I whispered it like a prayer over and over, uncaring that he reduced me to begging. Heated breath washed over my inner thigh, where he proceeded to nip and create more patterns with his tongue. After giving my other thigh equal attention, he wound his arms underneath my legs so he could press his palms down against my hips, anchoring them to the bed. Positioning his face right where I most wanted it, I heard his sharp intake of breath, of my scent, and if he hadn't been holding me down I would have lifted us both off the bed. His fingers parted my lips and finally, _finally_ , he licked me with a languid ease that had me arching so forcefully I manged to rip the sheets from the top half of the bed. "Omega." My voice was hardly recognizable as I panted unevenly. He sucked my clit in to his mouth and inserted one finger inside me at the same time. "Fuck!" I shouted, and twisted desperately to break his hold on me, the pleasure almost too much to handle but he refused to let me go and added another finger to the first, curling them upwards against that most elusive spot. 

By this point I was babbling incoherently, waffling between curse words and pleas for release. "You..." I couldn't catch my breath. "I'm going to -" He didn't allow me to finish that sentence though. I cried out as his fingers disappeared, a cry that turned in to shriek of satisfaction as he thrust his cock in to me in one swift motion. He stayed unmoving inside me for a long moment, stretching my inner walls and giving me time to adjust to his size, all the while whispering the most deliciously filthy things in Swedish and English in my ear. I leaned up to sink my teeth in to his broad shoulder, my fingernails leaving deep scratches down his back as I tried to get him to move. He must not have been able to take it any longer because he grasped my legs tightly and drove himself in to me over and over, until we were both at the point of no return. His thrusts became erratic and right as he fell apart he bent down to my neck, clamping teeth just sharp enough to break the skin down there and sending me flying right off the edge with him. 

Some time later, when I regained the ability to remember my own name, I also remembered that red bag. "What else was in that bag of yours?" I prodded his side with a finger in an effort to get his legs untangled from mine.

His deep voice echoed in the darkness. "Guess you're just going to have to go find out."                    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone wants to come say hi on tumblr, I'm arch-angel (http://arch-angel.tumblr.com/). I mostly just whine and moan over Omega still being gone in tags. I don't know how fans of Old Water and Old Earth survived this.


	22. She is called Mist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter is mainly filler and I do apologize for that. I wanted to bang something out before heading to see Ghost tomorrow *squee* and I probably won't get a chance to update for at least a week. I know I'm stupid lucky to see Ghost (twice) and Avatar all within a few days of each other but gods, am I going to be dead when it's all over. As always I am ever grateful for the support you all have given me here - it really is encouraging to know you awesome people are out there reading my silly story that grew way beyond what I expected. I would hug you all if I could.

“I can’t believe you bought some of these.” Sitting on the couch clad only in one of Omega’s shirts (yes, he owns regular clothing), I gnawed contentedly on a pair of edible panties.

Omega looked up from his task of cleaning the kitchen and stared a bit incredulously at me. “To be fair, that’s not how I imagined them getting used. Did you get enough to eat?”

I snickered at his concern and downed the last bit of my snack. “Hmm. Not quite Fruit Roll-up good, but passable.” I got up to wash my hands. “And I also can’t believe you thought I would put that anywhere near my crotch. Do you know how long it would take to clean off?” I reached the kitchen sink and was trying elbow the faucet on when he moved in quickly and quietly, spinning me around to face him.

“That, I think, would be part of the fun.” He said, before sucking one of my sticky fingers between his lips. I had to grip the counter-top behind me with my free hand so I didn’t slide down the cabinets to my knees, though I had a feeling Omega wouldn’t mind if I ended up on the floor in front of him. Neither would I actually…but that was best saved for another time.

Before my eyes could roll back in my head any further, I took my hand away from his mouth and pushed lightly against his chest. “It’s nearly dusk. We need to head over to Air’s cottage and get the lowdown on these ruins we’re going to see tonight. Focus.”

He huffed playfully and gave me a look so dirty I almost believed he had x-ray vision. “I am completely focused.”

I couldn’t help but let out an absurdly obnoxious giggle. “Yeah, but on the “completely” wrong thing.”  

He smiled but his expression was rapidly becoming more serious. “I wish you would agree to stay here. We can handle this.”

Ah. He’d tried to bring up the subject of me staying behind while they went off to rescue Papa the night before but I successfully managed to distract him with a set of handcuffs, a riding crop, and a pair of black gloves with golden nails that looked suspiciously like the ones Papa wore for photo shoots. Sometimes the simple classics are all a girl needs when she knows how to use them creatively.

“I told you already – I know I’m a liability. I know I don’t have your abilities and mine might not work against anything Belial throws at us.” My eyes darted away from his scowl. “I don’t want to be a distraction. If you all annoy him enough I might be able to get in his head and do some kind of damage, or I can help if he decides to bring some friends along. Low level lackeys are my specialty.”

Glancing back at him, I found my words were having no effect on his resolve. His expression said everything I needed to know and I realized just how much I loved being able to see his face, so I told him as much. He tried to remain firm but apparently getting mushy on him worked better than listing my capabilities.

“Go get dressed, before I tie you up and leave you here.”

* * *

 We ended up making it to Air’s place much later than we expected (I sent out a mental apology to Papa) and received plenty of teasing from the others until Air came out on the porch, quieting down the rambunctious ghouls with a harsh glare.

“If you are to do what needs to be done, you need to have your wits about you.” His tone brooked no argument, emphasized by his towering stance over everyone from his position of authority on the stairs.

“The grounds you seek are not far from here. I will open the portal for you to pass through but I will deposit you _near_ your destination so you might have some advantage when scouting the area. There is a worn stone path you can follow if you lose your way.” He paused. “You will be searching for a large archway, all that is left of a sacred space. It is here where you will open a portal to send Belial through. It does not matter what destination you choose – any portal opened in the door is said to open to the same place. Whether that place is Hell or simply a well-designed prison I do not know.”

He turned sharply on his heel, flicked his wrist so that the portal opened up to the right of where we stood, and marched back inside without another word. Earth was the first to break the silence. “He’s coming back, isn’t he?”

Omega and I exchanged an uneasy look before I answered him. “Uh, yeah. I mean, he should be back eventually. I thought it would be a good idea if he goes and finds my boss. You know, for extra help.” Even to me it sounded like a horrible lie but Water, Alpha, and Earth only shook their heads in understanding.  

Single file, we all traipsed one after another through the portal. It was smart of Air to drop us off outside our intended target so we could possibly have some element of surprise on our side, but it was dark as pitch in that dense forest. Not even the full moon’s light could penetrate the canopy above us and I dragged my phone from my pocket to turn on the flashlight.

I addressed the others. “We’re dealing with angels and super demons – I highly doubt we’ll get the drop on them anyway.” I shined the light around until I found the stones Air mentioned and we began following them.

Finally rounding a corner to the clearing after what felt like ages of walking, my eyes first took in the enormous limestone staircase that led to an equally impressive archway. Judging by the bits of foundation surrounding the ruins we were probably looking at the remains of a building, but due to time and circumstance it had withered away in to just what we needed it to be: a path to “the other”. The second, very noticeable detail we were presented with was a woman, sitting directly under the arch at the top of the stairs. From our position I could tell she was very slight in stature, her pure white hair shining brilliantly in what little moonlight filtered through the clouds above us. She had no shoes on her feet but was clad in a vibrant red cocktail dress that clashed mightily with our surroundings, and strangely enough…

“Is she playing a fucking _harp_?” Alpha couldn’t quite keep the disbelief out of his voice. Surely Belial could have killed us all in the moment as we gawked rather stupidly at this petite creature parked next to a plain looking gold and black harp twice her size. The movement of her slender fingers revealed nails painted red and light bounced off of what I could only assume to be a ring on her left middle finger.

“Ah, so she is still with him.” Startled, all eyes left the woman to discover Air walking out from the trees to our left.

“You came?” The inflection of my voice demanded a proper answer but all I received was a nod in response. “Okay. Then who is she?”

Air continued to watch the woman, who had yet to take a break from her music, his eyes never leaving her figure as he replied. “Another of Belial’s pets. I have only known her in this visage but it is rumored he raised her from a child.” His eyes narrowed. “Whether she is actually his spawn or a former victim, he is all she has ever known. Her powers are formidable. Even I could feel her presence some distance away. I believe she is called Mist.”

Great.

Our deck was stacked a little higher than it was a few minutes ago with the arrival of Air but now we had to face Belial plus his demon child, trained in art of evil since childhood? It was becoming harder and harder not to turn around and run screaming in to the night.

As if the fates could hear my thoughts, the crystal clear notes of music were broken by the arrival of Anuriel. I made it two steps towards his landing place on the grass when a hand caught my shoulder. Air moved to stand beside me, and bent down so he could speak softly and still be heard. “You were right to be suspicious of Anuriel.”

“Why is that?”

A silver cage sprang forth from the ground, the magic of such a feat stunning me momentarily. Inside, propped up against the bars on one side of the cage with his legs crossed in an almost impudent manner, sat Papa Emeritus III.

“Because that is not an angel. It is Belial himself.”

 


	23. This was hard to write

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm a week behind on updating. In the span of that week I got to see Ghost, Avatar, Ghost again, and then Flight of the Conchords. All of them were amazing. AMAZING. I didn't think I could love Ghost more than I already do but goddamn, my obsession is now properly out of control. The only thing missing from the shows was Omega. I miss him so much it's distracting. I did take an obsessive amount of pictures of Water Ghuleh to fill the void, though xD (but please Omega, please come back. Please. Do it. We love you. Please.) And did you all see where Niels Nielsen of Dead Soul was traveling with them? I wanted to meet him so badly but I also didn't want to be all creepy about it.
> 
> Enough fangirling.
> 
> Just so everyone is clear - Water Ghuleh is still Mist here. She has def. earned the name Water for being such a teeny badass on stage but we can't go having two Waters in one story. I know some people still get their knickers in a twist over her name. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

"Jesus H. Christ on a cracker. This whole clusterfuck is fifty shades of horseshit." It was either swear profusely (and nonsensically) or burst in to tears and fall to the ground like a less attractive Disney princess. 

"What do we do now?" I asked Air. Initiating a fight was new to the rest of us but not him. Surely he'd handled situations like this before. My hopes were dashed, however, because he was too busy staring at Mist, who had stopped playing her music and was returning his stare with equal intensity. There was obviously some kind of history between the two but I had no time to wheedle it out of him. 

"We could just surprise attack." Earth suggested. "You know, bum rush them?" 

I watched Anuriel/Belial pace restlessly around the open space and shrugged helplessly. "I think that only works for like, Captain America and Iron Man or something. Why doesn’t he just zap us and be done with it?” 

Before we could agree or come up with a proper plan, Alpha marched himself purposefully away from the group and across the grounds. Water tried to dart after him but Omega grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him back. "Let him go. He needs to do this." 

There wasn’t much distance between where we stood and where Belial waited, but as Alpha reached him I realized we couldn’t hear what was being said. Mist rose from her seated position and watched the two men interact. Malice was radiating from her eyes and twisting her lovely face to that of an angry old woman, pinched and hardened by whatever tormented her thoughts. Air moved as quietly and quickly as possible to situate himself closer to her, I suppose in an effort to stop whatever surprise attack of her own she might be planning. I desperately wished for superhuman hearing as we strained to determine what was happening. 

I expected Belial to be different than the demure personality he displayed to Omega and I. I imagined a transformation similar to that of a movie villain: a change in appearance, raucous laughter, an over the top explanation of his plans. Instead he seemed to be that same timid, quiet being we met only a day ago. His face and eyes were serious, his hand gestures frequent but not fueled by emotion. From this angle even Alpha appeared to be relaxed, which would have been great if it wasn’t worrying me so much. What the _hell_ could Belial’s end game possibly be here? Mist was the only one betraying any sort of strong reaction, her hands clenching and unclenching with restrained violence. 

It was Belial’s sudden laugh that had tension ratcheting up my spine. It pulled me from my absentminded assessment and I watched as the Prince of Hell clapped a hand on Alpha’s shoulder, giving it a slight shake almost like a father would do to his wayward son. Alpha turned away from his touch and hurried back to our little group.

His eyes were fever bright as words tumbled from behind his mask. “He says he’ll let Papa go if we give up our powers. He just wanted Papa to keep up his end of the deal, and since he won’t then the contract or whatever is void.”

I waited for one of the Ghouls to object but nothing came. Even Omega was nodding his head in agreement and the four turned to Air for his response. 

He waved a hand at them to proceed to Belial. “My powers…are not of his making.” He then promptly returned his focus to Mist.

Yeah, I was gonna need that backstory soon. 

Side by side Alpha, Water, Earth, and Omega all strode away from me. I wanted to yell at them to stop, that it all felt too easy but it wasn’t for me to decide. I was probably never meant to get pulled in to this fight. I bit my tongue and could scarcely breathe as Belial had each Ghoul take off their mask and kneel in the grass before him. He placed an open palm on Earth’s forehead and with a small push and a burst of light had the small man leaning sideways, one hand in the dirt propping himself up. He was still moving, thanks the gods. Maybe this was really what Belial wanted all along. 

Down the line of men he went, pressing his palm against their heads and taking back the powers he had given. They all seemed a bit dazed but no worse for wear. I bounced from foot to foot anxiously waiting for them to get up and come back to me. As he finished with Alpha, Belial finally seemed to notice I had come along for the show. His eyes turned from business-like to dead in a millisecond and the slow smile that spread across his face was anything but human. My stomach churned and knotted so harshly I thought for certain it would explode within me.

“You honestly did not believe me to be so forgiving, did you Emeritus?” Belial stood with his back to Papa, who still slouched in a cavalier manner against his prison. His gazed returned to my ghouls, my now family, and in that instant I knew. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I screamed a warning and forced my feet to move as fast as possible but it was never going to be enough.

With one swift jerking motion of his arm four echoing cracks broke the deafening silence. One by one each head of the men kneeling in front of Belial twisted to an impossible angle and I could see death touch their humanized faces. Three cries rent the air: Papa’s was that of shock, mine of horror, and one of rage tore its way from Mist. My legs went out from under me and I tumbled ungracefully to the hard earth, rolling to a stop just a few feet from the four lifeless bodies. I tried to haul myself back up but Belial just laughed again and more cracks sounded in the night as he crushed the bones in my legs and my feet. Papa was shouting something now but the pain, oh the pain… Tears rained from my eyes and I vomited uncontrollably all over myself, whether from pain or grief I was unsure. 

Belial hunched over me, a hand reaching out to almost lovingly move my hair away from my face and the mess I’d made. “Disgusting things you are, humans. I do admire your spirit though. No one else would be so arrogant to think they could win against the darkness with a few untrained ghouls by their side.” A flair of light caught my attention and I swung my head drunkenly towards it. Flames shot out from Mists’ hands and licked up her arms, arms she raised to aim at Belial and I. A great rumbling broke her concentration and the staircase where she blazed like some great fiery demon crumbled beneath her. Before she could be crushed beneath the falling stones Air was waving his hands around in a complicated pattern, slamming her in to one of the still standing pillars before allowing her to sink down to the rubble. 

Belial’s fury was palpable as he shifted away from me to Air, flinging bolts of energy at him in a glorious fashion. Air didn’t run, or even turn away, but remained where he stood with his hands folded calmly behind his back. The energy reached him but skittered harmlessly away, dissolved by what was most likely some kind of shield. A weak moan echoed out from the old building ruins as Mist began trying to work her way from the jagged foundation. The moan did something to the Prince of Hell and he redoubled his efforts to kill Air with crazed abandon. In my puke soaked misery I managed to realize the girl was the key. She broke his concentration on some level; of course she did, she was his child. 

Turning myself a bit so I could see more clearly, I struggled to block the hurt radiating from my mangled body. My ghouls would die in vain if I couldn’t help Air. I retreated in to my mind once more and concentrated on pushing my power at Mist like I did when I evicted the possession demon from my brain. Instead of a sword, this time I envisioned a cannon. If I was going to hurt that tiny bitch I would need adequate firepower.

Reaching out I grazed my consciousness up against her well-formed but unintimidating mental walls, surprised they were all that protected her from a psychic attack. She would probably have a way to kick my ass once I breached her mind but living through this wasn’t so terribly important anymore. I fortified my will with all my anger, fear, hurt, exhaustion and loneliness and lit the fuse on that cannon.

I know now it was all in my head but in my hazy half alert state I swear I could hear the blast of a real cannon. A triumphant cry escaped from my throat as I felt those targeted walls fall under my assault, only to be drowned out by agonized screaming. Mist. I was hurting her and it felt _good_. I was beginning to fade a bit now that I had expended most of my energy but I had to know. Had to see.

Belial’s head snapped around as he locked in on his child, his battle with Air now forgotten and one-sided. Air took advantage of the distraction and rolled the ground beneath Belial, knocking him down on his ass and breaking a few delicate bones in his feathers as he went. The churning earth swallowed the false angel up to his waist, trapping his arms by his sides and solidified to an impenetrable mass. Mist was silent now and only my labored panting and Belial’s grunts were audible. Before Air could move in and finish his prey more sharp snaps sounded around us from all sides and I thought for certain Belial had found a way to break his way from Air’s hold. 

That wasn’t the case.

A portal opened next to where Papa remained in his cage, gripping the bars so tightly I’m surprised he didn’t twist them right off the frame. Two forms emerged from the glowing doorway, both with jet black hair and enormous wings.

“Fuck, Emeritus. What the hell did you let go on here?”

That voice! I knew it, but my broken limbs were beginning to burn again with an intensity of a thousand suns, making it difficult for my attention to remain on the scene.  

“I am sorry, Lucifer, but I could not exactly stop it you know. He could not suspect.” Papa looked exasperated as he pushed on the bars to his right, causing the cage door to swing effortlessly open.

Wha-what?

Papa and the two strangers came closer to where I lay unmoving and though the wings were an addition, and the hair was different, I knew the face of at least one of the new men staring down at me.

“Ellie? Ellie, I’m sorry. This wasn’t how tonight was supposed to go down.” He picked up one of my hands and held it between his two large ones. I was past the point of speech and could only return his stare with a betrayed one of my own, or would have if my eyelids weren't suddenly so heavy. The darkness began to take me away to a place where I wouldn't hurt so much.

“Can you fix her, Lucifer?” Papa gazed down at me with pity. “Asmodeus?”

Asmodeus, the demon I didn’t know, merely shrugged and kept his attention centered on Belial. 

Lucifer, however…Lucifer.

I knew him as James.


	24. Stay tuned for scenes from our next episode

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cue dramatic music* I give you the second to last chapter of my story! I'm kind of excited to finish, but also I don't want it to be over. This chapter is reeeeally long compared to the usual ones but I couldn't quite find the right place to split it up. Hopefully ya'll will forgive the events of the last chapter. It had to be done!

Unconsciousness claimed me as I registered that my boss, the man I'd trusted for years and considered to be a father figure and a good friend, was really a Prince of Hell. I'm still unsure how long I surrendered to the darkness but I later awoke to a brightening morning sky. Weak sunlight streamed down on my face, beaming just forcefully enough to cause discomfort. Squinting, I waited for the agony of broken bones to sink in but none came.

Perhaps I was paralyzed.

Perhaps I was dead.

It didn't matter in the end. Nothing did now. I couldn't think, couldn't figure what needed to be done next. Quiet chatter interrupted my inability to form proper thoughts and my head lolled in the direction of the voices. Papa Emeritus and Lucifer were the only two left on the field with me. Belial and his guard dog Asmodeus were gone, as were Mist and Air. The others...the bodies were missing as well. I choked down a hysterical sob – I hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye.

My anguish must have disturbed the men near me because their faces were suddenly blocking out the slowly strengthening sun like a couple of morbid palm trees.

Papa came around behind my head and placed his hands under my shoulders. "Let us get you up, my dear." His matter of fact tone stung my heart. I braced myself against the ground as I expected him to help me sit but his grip became more forceful and in one fell swoop he had me on my feet. I stumbled a bit out of surprise but didn't immediately face-plant as I should have.

"How?" I managed to squeak out as Papa assured himself I was steady enough to stand and moved around to stand in front of me with James. Lucifer. James. Ack.

Papa waved his hands about in a dramatic fashion and wiggled his entire body before responding. "Between the pair of us, we have a significant amount of magic." He pointed to James. "’Twas a simple enough fix."

James rolled his eyes. "Christ, Emeritus. Could you cut the phony accent? I think we all know you aren't Italian. Or whatever the hell that's supposed to be. And I know for a fact you speak English almost better than I do."

Papa picked imaginary lint off his casual suit and stated calmly, "And I would suggest you learn to control your family. Otherwise I might have to speak with your Father about current affairs."

James scoffed arrogantly at Papa's assertion. "Dream on, Emeritus. You don't have the balls to go anywhere near my father." 

Papa faced him, each movement deliberate. "I'm a vessel brimming with the powers of three angels. Do you not think I have spoken with your father many times?" 

I had no idea what they were talking about but Papa's words had James looking somewhat...nervous? The expression melted away when he seemed to remember me standing there. “I truly didn’t mean for you to get pulled in to this, El. I thought placing you here would keep you out of the cross-hairs. My brother can be petty.”

I blinked slowly. “Brother?”

James nodded. “Belial is my brother, as is Asmodeus. I’m sure you know the lore.” He paused to give me a chance to reply but comprehension remained beyond my grasp in that instance. He cleared his throat almost awkwardly and continued. “Belial tends to become unstable at times. Call it one of the prices of immortality, if you will. During those periods my brothers and I keep him confined to Hell, but somehow he escaped.” His face hardened until he was almost unrecognizable. “Or had help getting free. Emeritus here came to me after he _so stupidly_ made his little deal and we decided to use it to our advantage.” 

Breathing was becoming more difficult as the explanation went on. “Bait.” I whispered. “You used them as bait. They didn’t know did they?”

Papa refused to look me in the eye. “It was best they be unaware of the full extent of our plan. Belial could not know or he would bolt at the first sign of a trap.”

I wanted to be angry. I wanted to scream and rage against the two standing before me. I wanted their pain and I wanted their blood, but there was simply nothing left inside of me. I felt completely numb.

“You let them die.” The accusation in my voice told me I was wrong about being totally unattached to my emotions. Briefly I wondered if they might return to me someday. I had no time to consider the possibility because Papa was immediately in my face, his features beneath his mask contorted in outrage. 

“You are grieving so I will forgive your thoughtless words, child.” He practically spat in my face, his lovely accent disappearing under the weight of his ire. “You know not of what you speak. For Lucifer and Asmodeus to find Belial without his knowledge, he would have to be sufficiently distracted enough to let down his shields. I believed a battle would ensue between he and my Ghouls.”

Papa’s eyes were suddenly wet and shiny. “I never in all my nightmares would have imagined Belial killing them, or doing them harm so quickly. Had I left my prison he would have bolted and none of us would know peace for a long while.”

I stood with my own eyes cast down for what seemed like eternity.

“At least they would still be here.”

* * *

 

**3 months later**  

My feet dragged on the pavement as I forced myself to go to work. After Papa and James had finished filling in all the missing details of their charade I basically shut down. My things were retrieved from the main house and Omega’s cabin and brought to a small ranch-style home within walking distance of HQ. James told me I could stay there as long as I wished until I decided to find something on my own, and that I could take as much time from work as I needed to “feel like my old self”. He asked me to still call him James, because not many knew him as Lucifer and he didn’t want to cause a panic at work or in the local supernatural community.

He also informed me Air had decided to stay with Papa and Mist was being looked after by those he found trustworthy.

_“She needs to face some form of punishment. After all, she did try to kill you.”_ He laughed as he said it but I had quickly cut him off.

_“She doesn’t need punished. You forget, I blasted my way inside her head. A few things leaked out before I broke the connection.”_ I struggled to put emotion in my tone but this was important. He needed to listen. _“Air misread her intentions. She was trying to attack Belial, not the rest of us. She hates him. From what I saw she was more his prisoner than daughter.”_  

Two months after that conversation James once again showed up on my doorstep. Apparently I should stop wallowing in my sorrows and find a way to be productive with my time. The archives and library were a mess without me and I was needed back at Headquarters immediately. The next morning I shrugged on a hoodie two sizes too big, stretchy pants and spent a solid twenty four hours reorganizing my workspace. Now work was the only thing that kept me going. I managed to eat and bathe regularly because society demanded I do so, but otherwise my time was spent in solitude with my books at work or asleep in my bed (when the nightmares allowed it).

The bar had been rebuilt in record time and still retained the unobtrusive aura that kept most regular humans away. It was a small comfort in the madness that had been the past few months. I pushed the front door open and kept my gaze steadfastly on my feet as I hurried past the bar. Everyone knew something had happened to me while I was gone, something that had shut down our entire network for weeks, but it was highly classified and only James and I would ever know what really went on. This, of course, made all the people I used to feel comfortable with annoyingly curious. Simple hellos were now enough to give me mild panic attacks so I did my best not to get caught up in small talk with anyone.

“You’re just going to run by and ignore me, are you?”

I was halfway past the barstools and the patrons who occupied them when a booming voice shook me out of my waking coma. I stopped in my tracks, not quite daring to believe what I heard. My limbs were shaking violently before I was even halfway turned around,  but as I viewed the person who spoke to me it was only confusion I felt.

His voice was certainly etched in to my memories but as I looked at him, I found my ability to identify him uncertain. He wore a regular t-shirt and jeans with a beat up leather jacket stretched across his broad shoulders. Slicked back hair and a hesitant smile completed the picture but it was as if the picture was slightly out of focus.

“Don’t tell me, you’re going to puke on my shoes again?”

Oh.

I stalked up to him until we were nearly touching and scowled up at his face. It was a bit softer, not as pointed and most certainly not inhuman, but the mischief in those sparkling blue eyes was ever the same.

The second recognition dawned across my face he tilted his head down towards mine...leading me to immediately shriek in his face. Ducking around his arm I raced back out the front door, flying down the sidewalk to the sanctuary of my house.

If I was seeing Omega here in this world it meant one of two things: either his ghost had found way to haunt me, or I had finally snapped under the weight of my depression and conjured him up on my own. I dug in to my pocket for my key so I would be ready once I pounded up the front porch steps to my door. I didn’t even bother to look behind me – his ghost (or my delusion) would probably be there waiting for me. With trembling hands I somehow wrestled the door open and slammed it shut behind me, sliding the locks in to place with gusto.

I kept my back pressed against the door and hesitantly raised my eyes to view my surroundings.

Empty.

I released the breath I'd been holding and sunk down to sit on the cool tile of my small entryway. Once upon a time I had thought I might start feeling better but whatever just happened was proof I was irreparably damaged. What was I supposed to do now?

Abrupt pounding on the door behind me sent me skittering away from my resting place. Somebody from work, come to check on me probably.

"Ellie! Open the door!" Omega.

My heart sunk. He must be figment of my imagination, because as far as I knew ghosts couldn't knock on doors. It was all in my head and I would never escape any of it.

"No!" I called back. "Go away. You're not real! You're. Not. Real." I repeated it over and over as I rocked back and forth, my arms wound tightly around myself, as if to keep all the broken pieces together.

Heavy footsteps moved away from the door and off the porch, leaving me to sigh in relief. Maybe I could control the delusions. It was a pleasant thought, until a very large crash sounded from my living room. I shot up from the floor and entered the room just a leather clad arm reached through a sizable whole in the glass of one of my windows, maneuvering around to shift the latches on the locks and raise what was left of the damaged window. The screen was nowhere to be seen.

He had to stoop low to drag himself inside but then he was standing next to my couch and all I could do was stare uncertainly at him.

Omega glared at me. "You could have just let me in the easy way." The annoyance on his face and in his voice didn't seem to be fake and it sparked irritation of my own.

"Oh pardon me. You'll have to forgive my bad manners, but you've been dead for three months. I only invite corpses in that are at least six months or older - I was afraid you'd mess on the rug." Zombie or not, I'd be damned if he was going to break in to my house and sass me.

I glanced pointedly at the broken window behind him. "I see being undead has done wonders for your temper."

"I take it Lucifer didn't fill you in on recent events." He was glowering now but it didn’t feel directed at me. "I wasn't dead the entire time, Ellie. He and Papa brought me back, brought us all back, a few hours after you left."

He moved forward a few steps but stopped when I flinched at his sudden change in position. "I know they didn't want to tell you at first because even they weren't sure it would work right, but Jesus, I thought by now you knew."

He moved again to stand directly in front of me, towering over me the way he did that always made me feel small. My eyes were glued to his boots. If I looked up, I was afraid he'd disappear.

I was losing my mind. Things like this did not happen, especially to people like me. We were the ones left behind, that the world forgot about. Good luck and miracles didn't free us from our pains.

The moment stretched out in to several. "The others are back at the bar if you want to see them." Somehow he knew not to touch me.

Omega turned his back to my rigid form and headed out the front door, leaving it open in an invitation for me to follow. Curiosity burned in my gut to know if this was a trick and I slowly placed one foot in front of the other, trailing after him like a lost toddler. He never looked back at me during the short walk to HQ but from the tense set of his shoulders he knew I was there.

I was acting like a piece of shit and I was well aware of it. Now I know how the people who watched Bobby die on _Dallas_ felt – one minute he’s dead and the next *poof*, it was all a dream. If this was a dream or a hallucination, I wasn’t entirely positive I could bounce back this time.

We reached the bar and I stopped just inside the threshold. I didn't know who I was looking for. Omega was the only one I'd ever seen without his mask and his Ghoulish features erased much of what he looked like as a human. Sensing my apprehension, he reached out and squeezed my shoulder, then moved to the back of the room where four men were seated at a table. I gave them a little wave in the most painfully awkward fashion and shifted my weight from foot to foot, my ability to speak buried beneath a rare bout of shyness. 

My discomfort steadily increased as the minutes of silence ticked on until one of the men finally pushed away from the table. His gait was a bit unsteady and it was then I noticed the empty beer bottles littering the table and the floor around them. He wobbled over to me, paused for a millisecond to look me in the eye, and then threw his arms around me, trapping my own arms and hands between us. He was a bit shorter than me, but not as small as Earth. "Hi Water." I grinned. I couldn't help myself. 

My smile must have been a signal because suddenly the rest were crowded around me in a big Ghostly group hug. Well, except Air. I didn’t figure him for a hugger anyways. What did surprise me was his lack of a mask. I sat myself next to him as my slightly boozed up companions fell back in their chairs, their banter intensified by the alcohol.

I watched them for a moment as they laughed at their own bad jokes and then turned to Air. “You don’t have a mask.”

It was his turn to smile. “I may change my appearance at will. The mask is a convenience.”

“That must be helpful.” Gods, why all of a sudden did this group of normal guys make me feel like an idiot? “And how is Mist doing?”

The smile slid from his face and his answer was measured. “She is…well enough, I believe. I am uncertain of her fate but she seems to reject all that Belial forced upon her.” We were interrupted by wild yelling around us and found Alpha and Earth in the midst of a drinking contest.

Later, as they all plodded to the back rooms so Air could port them home, I decided they appeared happy and no worse for wear from their ordeal. None of us had spoken about it during our time together and I wagered it was a memory they’d all prefer to forget.

Only Omega remained behind. “As drunk as they are, they’re probably going to leave without you.”

He laughed at my observation, looking over at the doorway where they were slowly disappearing with affection. “Yeah they will. I’m hoping that’s okay though.” He reached down beneath the table and pulled out a black suitcase, plopping it down next to his feet. “I quit.”

He said it quietly but it still had the same effect as if he shouted it from a rooftop.

“You did what?!” I fought not to screech the words but they definitely came out a little louder than I wanted them to.

Omega held his hands in front of him, a familiar gesture when trying to placate me. “Okay, okay, quit isn’t the right word.” I held my breath as he figured out what he wanted to say. “I’m on vacation.”

“But why?”

“I don’t like what Papa did. That’s not what we signed up for when he joined our band and erased what was left of my oldest friend. You don’t treat people you care about that way.” Anger was plain on his face but it didn’t shock me. I felt exactly the same about James. “So they’re going to tour for a while and I’m going to stay home. I have other projects to work on and maybe by the time we record the next album, I’ll have had a chance to cool off.”

“Oh.” I found myself staring at his bag. “Whatcha doin’ with the bag, if you’re planning on staying home?”

His demeanor shifted from serious to playful in an instant. “Why, I thought I’d come visit my old pal Ellie for a few days.  She’d never turn me away.”

I pretended to consider the idea. “Weeeelll – I suppose it might be fine. I do have a spare bedroom you could use.” I stood up from the table. “Otherwise imagine the scandal we’d cause. A lady has to protect her reputation.”

Omega hooked an arm around my waist as we walked out the door and pulled me close enough to growl in my ear. "If I see a lady, I'll let you know."

And that was how his first night on vacation was indeed, spent in my guest room.   

 


	25. Thirty more years of this, you get a tiny pension and a cheap gold watch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, we've reached the end. I know I'm early but I can't wait another week to post again! 113 pages typed, over 40,000 words, and more than a thousand views. That's the truly shocking part to me - there are some of you out there who READ this! I want to thank each and every one of you for the kind comments and the encouragement. And I'll throw in another thank you for reading what basically came out to be a 26 chapter love letter to Ghost (okay, mostly Omega). 
> 
> I have added an extra chapter after this one because I'm leaning towards making this a series and am posting a small snippet of where I'm thinking the next story will be focused. I hope ya'll will leave comments and let me know if you'd be interested in reading another "Ellie and the island of misfit Ghouls" adventure. Any feedback, critiques, insults or declarations of love (or just say hi!) can be left here or even anonymously through my blog: arch-angel.tumblr.com/ask

**One Month Later**

 

“I still can’t believe you all let Mist join the band.” I was stretched across the couch in Omega’s cabin, balancing my laptop on my legs as I scrolled through the latest Ghost tour pictures.

From his spot at the breakfast table Omega looked at me quizzically over the top of his newspaper, a pair of reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. “Are you on _that_ website again?” He made small noise of disgust. “They needed someone to fill in. Air thought it would suit her.”

He could scoff all he wanted at my internet habits, but I’d seen him lurking on social media when he thought I wasn’t paying attention. Just because he was angry with Papa didn’t mean he was happy to be away from his friends and performing.

“I know, and she’s certainly holding her own on stage. But now that I’ve had time to think - it just seemed way too easy to break in to her head. What if it was a set-up?” The thought had been scratching at the back of my mind for a while now, ever since I’d learned Mist was being groomed to play bass for the band on the second leg of their tour.

I did my best to keep it from bothering me, however. Omega stayed with me for a week before we both decided Phoenix was too crowded for us and I followed him back to Ghoulville under the guise of properly cataloging the library.

Omega returned to reading his paper with a furrowed brow. “A set-up to do what exactly? There’s no way anyone could have planned for her to be in the band. Get close to us I’d buy, but we don’t have much to offer anymore. Papa has his powers on lockdown and we have none now that we're not ghouls.”

I stuck my tongue out at him. “Fine, be all logical. It was only a thought.” I scrolled some more through several posts about Papa and his Ghouls. “So when is Papa going to address your absence? Will he give some cheesy line about you being punished by the clergy or something?”

The newspaper didn’t shift away from his face this time as he spoke. “Nope. Water is officially the new me. That should be good enough for fans.”

I’m sure he expected that to be the end of the conversation. I’m sure he really did, at least until my fuzzy pink slipper flew through the air and crumpled the paper in his hands, tipping his cup of coffee over the side of the table directly in to his lap.  

“What the fuc-”

“You better be kidding.” I cut off his tirade before he could start. Scooting back from the table, he searched the kitchen counter for napkins to clean up his dripping crotch.

“Kidding about what?!” Not finding any napkins he’d settled for a dishtowel, hastily trying to clean the liquid off his jeans.

“About not telling people you’re coming back! Omega, people are freaking out. They’re even bringing signs to shows.”

He stopped his frantic cleaning for a second. “Really?” There was a hint of smugness in his expression before he went back to being mad at me. “That doesn’t matter, damnit! The point of being a _Nameless_ Ghoul is to have people focus on the music rather than us. Gods Ellie, you’re lucky that coffee wasn’t hot anymore.”

He raised his head to glare at me but found his view obscured once again as my other slipper slapped him in the face.

“You deserve a scalded dick for that attitude! Or at the very least a punch in the nose.” I was on my knees now, hanging over the back of the couch and pointing a finger at his rapidly darkening face. “You and I damn well know you’re not just “any old ghoul”. You better tell me right now you’ll get Papa to make some kind of statement or so help you I will go online and tell them myself.”

“Eliana!” His voice was positively thunderous as he said my full name. Uh oh. “Give me your laptop. Right. Now.” His commanding tone sent goosebumps racing across my skin.

“You’d be far more intimidating if you didn’t have a giant pee stain running down the front of your pants.”

“You’ll give me that laptop now or you won’t be staying in this cabin anymore.” Oh, so that’s how he wanted to play.

I closed the small screen and stood up. “Fine by me. You know relationships that start under intense circumstances, they never last anyways.”

I was heading for the door when his hand shot out and twisted the laptop from my grip. I wanted to protest but thought better of it. I let him have the computer and calmly proceeded on my way to the house.

Silly Omega. He must have forgotten about the new desktop that currently resided in the library. It held the database I was building for the collection and had a pretty nifty (and fast) internet connection. Now if only I could keep him from remembering it…

I was three quarters of the way before I heard footsteps on the grass behind me. Shit. Dropping all pretenses I forced my feet to skim across earth as fast as I could get them to go. I had a decent head start on him but those long ass legs of his would catch me soon enough. I blazed a trail through the patio door, hurling myself around the living room furniture and down the hallway to the library.

Reminiscent of our first meeting after his “death”, he was damn near on my heels as I banged the newly installed fire door shut and flipped the locks. I’d convinced Papa it was a necessary precaution to help save the materials in the room in case someone tried to blow up the house again.

A boom sounded from the other side of the door and I assumed my persistent ex-ghoul threw himself against it to try and break it down. 

“God damn woman, you are the most frustrating creature I have ever met!” He had to shout to be heard through the expertly crafted walls.

I laughed arrogantly. “Oh yeah? Why do you always seem to be chasing me then?”

There was silence from the hallway. “Have it your way. I’m done.”

I called back, “Well it’s a good thing you already threw me out of your house!”

This was the problem when two sarcastic, stubborn people started sleeping together – we constantly pushed each others buttons for the sheer fun of it. He knew I would never post anything about the band online and I knew he didn’t actually throw me out, but neither of us was willing to back down right away.

The thrill of the chase was far more satisfying than any normal relationship.

I looked around and figured while I was stuck in here I could get some work done. I let the hours pass by in blissful silence as I continued the painstaking process of digitizing the books and documents surrounding me. Most likely it would take years to scan and reorganize the entire room by myself but would turn out so worth it in the end. Resources such as these were needed in the world and it was my job to provide them. Thankfully the band (and Lucifer himself, ha!) agreed.

Darkness was settling in around me when my stomach began to growl persistently and I discovered my bladder was on the verge of bursting. Not even Omega would have waited this long to finish our argument and had probably gone down to the studio to write. I ducked out of the room quietly and hurried to the half bath nearby. No one jumped out of the shadows and I was able to do my business in peace.

It came as quite a surprise when I left the bathroom and found myself forcefully shoved up against the wall, the light coming from the now open studio door allowing me to see a flash of eyes and the comforting glint off those ever present rings. There was no time to think as Omega crashed his lips against mine in an almost bruising display of dominance.

It worked for me. There was nothing soft about either of us.

Spearing my hands through his soft hair, I caught his lower lip between my teeth and bit down just hard enough to hurt, tugging at it as I leaned my head back to rest against the wall. Hands fisted in my hair and yanked with enough pressure so that I released his lip, and he slid me higher up the wall so I could wrap my legs around his waist. His mouth latched on to my throat and I practically purred as our hips rolled together, my nails scrabbling for purchase down his back through the thin material of his shirt.

I was just about to shred the infernal thing when my hunger made its presence known with a vengeance, the sound loud enough to drown out our spirited moans. I froze for an instant and then we both began to giggle uncontrollably.

We stayed wrapped around each other for a long minute as I tried to smother my laughter. “Do you think you could feed me before you fuck me?”

Omega pulled his head back to look me in the eye, all the frustration built up earlier drained from his face. He used one hand to support my butt as he pushed away from the wall, my legs still clenched tightly around him, and began walking to the kitchen. 

“Only if you promise to never quote _Speed_ at me ever again.”

“No dice. It’s a great movie. Pop-quiz hot-”

“Ellie.”

“Fine.”


	26. What she does in the shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm thinking about making this in to a series. This is just a preview of where things might go. I'll probably wait to post until I'm well in to writing it so I stick to a consistent update schedule like I tried to do with my first story.

_She was frozen like a statue the middle of the room; her electrically charged blue eyes scrutinized the hundreds of books surrounding her, all scattered about in apparent disarray. Whatever project needed completing in this room had been hastily abandoned. She would have privacy._

_The Dark One told her the text he sought was somehow connected to this insipid group of humans who styled themselves musicians, stolen away by the angels many eons ago and passed from hand to hand in a random fashion to keep his faithful servants from uncovering its location._

_Part one of her plan was complete: they had accepted her without much hesitation. She made a wry mental note to thank the human woman who came to her defense to Lucifer when this was all said and done. Such easily manipulated things, mortals were. So trusting._

_Now it came down to her to do what others could not. Groomed from her rising for such a task, little stood in her way…except for him._

_Her breath caught in her throat as she thought of his unforgiving stare, his rigid demeanor that often terrified many but had always secretly thrilled her. He was so much the opposite of the element he represented._

_It did not matter._

_Noting the lateness of the hour, she determined she needed to return to her companions. He was always watching._

_She could not be caught. Her freedom depended on it._


End file.
